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Full text of "History of Clayton County, Iowa : from the earliest historical times down to the present : including a genealogical and biographical record of many representative families, prepared from data obtained from original sources of information"

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PREFACE 


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LIVING  in  this  beautiful  county,  bordered  by  the  Father  of  Waters, 
with  its  majestic  hills,  its  castled  rocks,  its  swiftly  running 
streams,  its  wooded  slopes,  its  fertile  fields,  its  happy  homes, 
its  staid  and  enlightened  civilization,  it  is  difficult  to  realize  that  this 
is  but  the  eightieth  anniversary  of  the  coming  of  the  first,  real 
American  Pioneers.  And  yet,  so  young  is  our  state,  when  meas- 
ured by  the  pendulum  of  centuries,  that  Clayton  is  one  of  the  very 
oldest  counties  within  its  borders,  and  its  history  is  contempora- 
neous with,  and  typical  of,  the  history  of  Iowa. 

The  story  of  these  wonderful  years  should  be  a  source  of  pride 
and  of  inspiration,  and  the  better  known  the  story,  the  more  familiar 
the  names  and  the  deeds  of  the  strong  and  sturdy  men  and  courageous 
women  who  founded  and  nurtured  and  perfected  its  civilization,  the 
stronger  will  be  our  love  of  home;  and,  in  the  last  analysis,  love  of 
home  is  Patriotism. 

The  institutions  of  which  the  people  of  Clayton  county  are  so 
justly  proud;  the  well-tilled  farms,  the  cosy,  comfortable  homes,  the 
flourishing  business  concerns,  the  schools,  the  churches,  the  very  roads 
they  travel,  are  not  the  results  of  nature,  not  spontaneous  growths,  but 
each  represents  toil  and  energy  and  thought  and  sacrifice  and  hard- 
ship and  self-control. 

The  pioneers  were  a  stalwart,  two-fisted,  hard-headed  race.  They 
were  inured  to  hardship ;  they  were  adventurers  in  the  best  sense  of  the 
term.  They  were  rough  and  ready,  quick  to  defend  their  rights,  com- 
bative, turbulent,  if  you  will,  but  inspired,  through  it  all,  with  a  splen- 
did sense  of  justice  and  a  real  love  of  law  and  order  which  is  the 
highest  expression  of  Americanism. 

Hardly  had  they  set  foot  in  this  new  wilderness  before  the  rudi- 
ments of  government  were  established  and  courts  and  schools  and 
churches  followed  quickly.  It  is  to  the  lasting  credit  of  Clayton 
county  that,  throughout  its  history,  and  in  spite  of  the  presence  of  a 
bold,  adventurous  people  and  the  absence  of  judicial  machinery,  it  is 
one  of  the  very  few  counties  of  Iowa  which  has  never  been  the  scene 
of  mob  violence. 

While  the  mere  struggle  for  existence  was  the  first  problem  con- 
fronting the  pioneers,  it  was  not  their  ambition  nor  their  goal,  and,  in 
a  surprisingly  short  time,  we  see  the  evidences  of  the  refinements  of 
civilization,  the  desire  for  culture  and  the  strivings  of  a  strong  intellec- 
tual, as  well  as  of  a  sturdy  physical  life. 

A  large  percentage  of  the  earliest  pioneers  were  college  bred  men ; 
graduates  of  Yale  and  William  and  Mary's  and  the  universities  of  the 
old  world.  These  were  men  driven  by  the  call  of  the  West,  the  same 
call  which  sent  their  sons  to  California  and  to  Pike's  Peak,  and  their 
grandsons  to  the  Dakotas  and  Nebraska  to  fill  the  west  with  the  rich, 
red  blood  of  Iowa. 


IV  PREFACE 

And,  added  to  this  tide  of  Americanism,  there  came,  but  a  few 
years  later,  the  very  pick  and  flower  of  foreign  immigration.  Not  the 
dregs  of  Europe,  but  the  very  best  and  strongest  of  its  civiUzation. 
Wearied  of  the  oppression  of  monarchies,  eager  for  the  wider  oppor- 
tunities of  the  newest  of  the  new  lands,  from  Germany  and  Ireland 
and  Norway  and  all  the  countries  of  northern  Europe,  came  the 
strongest  and  bravest  of  their  peoples.  This  engrafting,  under  perfect 
conditions  of  freedom  and  equality,  of  the  stability  and  thrift  and 
frugality  of  the  Old  World,  upon  the  alertness,  the  nervous  energy 
and  the  indomitable  spirit  of  the  New,  has  been  one  of  the  most  suc- 
cessful and  most  upbuilding  processes  in  the  evolution  of  mankind, 
and  nowhere  has  it  shown  better  results  than  in  Clayton  county. 

Back  of  the  pioneers  we  come  to  the  mysterious,  romantic  shadow 
land  of  history.  Across  the  screen  are  thrown  dim  pictures  of  a  wild 
and  untamed  land,  of  herds  of  buffalo  and  droves  of  deer,  of  red- 
skinned  warriors  and  rude  Indian  villages,  of  bloody  massacres  and 
dangling  scalps. 

Following,  in  rapid  succession,  we  see  the  stately,  saintly 
Fathers,  soldiers  of  the  Church,  meeting  the  showers  of  savage 
arrows  with  the  emblem  of  the  Cross.  Upon  the  broad  bosom  of  the 
Mississippi  we  hear  the  lilt  of  French  songs,  as  strong-backed  row- 
ers send  the  canoes  of  early  explorers  to  marvel  at  the  beauties  of 
the  Iowa  shore. 

Floating  on  the  swift  current  of  the  Wisconsin  come  the  Canadian 
voyageurs,  the  traders,  the  trappers ;  here,  on  the  borders  of  Iowa,  to 
meet  the  adventurous  brother  who  had  made  the  equally  long  and 
arduous  journey  from  New  Orleans,  for  this  juncture  of  the  rivers 
was  the  natural  meeting  point  of  the  civilizations  which  came  from  the 
north  and  east  and  from  the  south. 

Every  wave  of  war  which  swept  over  Europe  plashed,  finally, 
upon  the  banks  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  It  was  here  that  the  French 
made  their  last  stand  against  the  aggressiveness  of  Great  Britain  and 
sought  by  superior  cunning  to  maintain  commercial  supremacy,  even 
after  the  fortunes  of  war  had  deprived  them  of  the  great  Dominion. 

Even  as  a  child  might  play  with  a  diamond,  unwitting  of  its  value, 
so  this  great  region  became  the  plaything  of  Europe's  kings,  and  these 
headwaters  of  the  world's  greatest  river  became  the  last  skirmish  line 
on  which  the  British,  the  French,  the  Spanish  and,  finally,  the  Ameri- 
can struggled  for  mastery;  and  thus  the  known  history  of  Clayton 
county  reaches  back  for  more  than  two  centuries  and  a  half. 

And,  back  of  all  this,  is  the  unknown  history  of  long  forgotten 
races ;  a  history  unwritten,  save  in  the  mounds  and  bones  found  on  the 
majestic  bluffs  which  guard  the  Mississippi, 

It  is  the  purpose  of  this  history  of  Clayton  county,  therefore,  not 
to  be  a  reference  book,  only;  not  a  mere  compilation  of  names  and 
dates  and  statistics,  however  valuable  and  necessary  these  may  be,  but 
to  present,  to  the  favored  sons  and  daughters  of  old  Clayton,  the  story 
of  their  past,  as  an  inspiration  for  their  future,  and  to  preserve  for 
them  a  readable  account  of  the  great  events,  the  great  lives,  the  great 
struggles,  the  great  hardships  which  have  made  possible  the  still 
greater  blessings  of  to-day. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


PAGE 

Preface    iii-iv 

Chapter  One — Earliest  History,  1673-1833 17-46 

Chapter  Two— Log  Cabin  Days,  1833-1840 47-57 

Chapter  Three— Clearings,  1840-1850 59-76 

Chapter  Four— Progress  and  Poverty,  1850-1860 77-127 

Chapter  Five— Antebellum  Days,  1860-1861 129-137 

Chapter  Six— War  History,  1861-1865— Events  at  Home.  .139-155 
Chapter  Seven— War  History,  1861-1865— At  the  Front. .  .158-174 

Chapter  Eight — Domestic  History  During  War 175-193 

Chapter  Nine— Reconstruction  Period,  1865-1870 195-206 

Chapter  Ten— Development  Period,  1870-1880 207-238 

Chapter  Eleven— Improvement  Period,  1880-1890 239-277 

Chapter  Twelve— The  New  Century,  1900-1916 279-312 

Chapter  Thirteen — Beginnings 313-323 

Chapter  Fourteen — Present  View  of  County 325-370 

Chapter  Fifteen — Banks  and  Banking 371-377 

Chapter  Sixteen — Catholic  Church  History 379-387 

Chapter  Seventeen — Biographies  of  Noted  Citizens 389-411 

Chapter  Eighteen — Reminiscences  of  Pioneers 413-429 

Chapter  Nineteen — Historical  Writings  by  Clayton  County 

Men   431^kS4 

Chapter  Twenty — Tables  of  Elections,  etc 465-494 


INDEX  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


FACING  PAGE 

Boardman,    Ellsha 59 

Brownson,   H.  D 59 

Davis,    James 59 

Davis,    Timothy 77 

Cooley,  A.  S 59 

Edgewood,    Church 313 

Journal  Block 313 

Eiboeck,   Joseph 77 

Elkader,  Catholic  Church 379 

County    Asylum ,  .  ,  417 

County  Jail 417 

Courthouse   465 

Elkport,   Main  Street 313 

Farmersburg-,    High    School 313 

Street    Scene 313 

Francis,  J.  K 59 

Gifford,  Asa 59 

Gifford,  Rev.  H 59 

Gillett,  John  W 59 

Guttenberg,  Birdseye  View  of 279 

Public    Schools 279 

Henderson,    Cyrus 59 

Howard,    "Freed" 59 

Jones,     James 59 

Kauffman,  Jonathan 59 

Knight,  Willard 59 

McGregor,  Main  Street 232 

View    of 195 

Merrill,  Gov.  Samuel 77 


FACING  PAGE 

Monona,  High  School 349 

Parochial    School 349 

Murdock,    Samuel 59-77 

Newberry  Springs 157 

Noble,    Reuben     77 

North  McGregor,  Birdseye  View  of  232 

C,  M.  &  St.  P.  Ry.  Yards 232 

Pontoon    Bridge 195 

Olmsted,   P.   P 59 

Osterdock,    Creamery 313 

Paddelford,   John 59 

Peck,    Samuel 59 

Price,   Major  A.   T 157 

Price,    Eliphalet 59-77 

Price,  Real  to  E Frontispiece 

Price,  V.  V 157 

Ryan,   James 59 

St.   Olaf,    Church 313 

Main  Street 313 

Shadow    Lake 195 

Stence,   Mike 59 

Strawberry  Point,  Soldiers*  Monu- 
ment     157 

Street    Scene 157 

Updegraff ,    Thomas 77 

Uriell,   Michael 59 

Wadsworth,    S 59 

Walker,    Thomas 59 

Williams,  E.  H 77 


INDEX 


Abd-El-Kader    237 

Adams,  S.  K 268 

Agricultural  Fair,   First 99 

Agricultural,   Fourth   Fair 117 

Agricultural   Fairs,    1866-1869 201 

Agricultural  Fairs 211 

Agricultural  Fair,  Strawberry  Point  212 

Agricultural  Fairs,   1880-1900 253 

Agricultural  Society,  Organization.      89 

Agricultural  Society,  1856 110 

Agricultural  Society,  1857 113 

Agricultural  Society  During  War. .    181 

Agricultural  Statistics 289 

Andros,   Dr.   Frederic 274 

A.  O.  U.  W.  Conventions 254 

Appleman,  G.  A 272 

Automobile,  First 285 

Automobile  Tax,  First 283 

BANKS  AND  BANKING— 

Citizens  State  Bank,  Monona....   377 

Clayton  County  Bank 376 

Clayton  Savings  Bank,  Clayton. .   377 

Elkader  State  Bank 374 

Elkport  Savings  Bank 376 

Farmersburg  Savings  Bank 374 

Farmers  Savings  Bank,  Edgewood  377 
Farmers  Savings  Bank,  Garber. .  376 
Farmers  State  Bank,  GarnaviUo.    377 

Farmers  State  Bank,  St.  Olaf 377 

_  Farmers  State  Bank,  Volga 377 

<^  First  National  of  McGregor 372 

First  National  of  Elkader 372 

First  National  Bank,  Sti-awberry 

Point    375 

*   GarnaviUo  Savings  Bank 375 

Guttenberg  State  Bank 374 

Llttleport  Savings  Bank 376 

Luana  Savings  Bank 375 

^,   Monona  State   Bank 374 

/y  North  McGregor  Savings  Bank..   376 

^^    St.  Olaf  Savings  Bank 375 

State  Bank  of  Edgewood 375 

State  Bank  of  McGregor 374 

Strawberry  Point  State  Bank...   372 

Volga  Savings  Bank 376 

Baleff.   Victor    276 

Balka,  Joachim 266 

Base  Ball.  First 218 

Bar    of    1857 118 


Bar,  Membership  1862 190 

Barron,  B.  R , 277 

Baugh,  D 125 

Becker,  Carl  F 288 

Becker,  Casper 276 

Bevins,  Capt.  A 145 

Beulah ^n 

Beyer,  Henry 294 

Bismarck,  Town  of 315 

Bixby,   S.   N 269 

Blackhawk  Purchase 44 

Blanchard,  O.  B 275 

Blaul,     Otto 266 

Bleidung,   Alex 225 

Bloody  Run,   Story  of 462 

Boardman,   Capt   E 147-150-154 

Boardman,  Elisha,  Death  of 196 

Boardman,  Elisha 401 

Boardman  Township 313 

Borman,  August 276 

Bothmer,  H.  P.  W 272 

Bowland,  Murder  of 291 

Bradshaw  Jos  272 

Brazil,  Martin 269 

Bridges,  First  County 93 

Bridges,  Controversies  Over 94 

Brinkhaus,  George 270 

Bronson,  Horace  D 401 

Brown,  Alonzo,  Report  of 126 

Brown,  Alonzo,  Death  of 197 

Brownson,   Daniel 274 

Buena  Vista,  1853 82 

Buena  Vista  Township  Organized. .      52 

Buena  Vista  Township 314 

Buffalo  Farm  at  Luana 286 

Campbell,  J.  F 266 

Carter,  Maj.  E.  V 406 

Carter,  H.  B 276 

Carver,  Jonathan  22 

Casey,  Thomas 268 

Cass  Township 314 

Cass  Township  Churches 457 

Cass  Township,  Early  Settlers....    458 
Cass  Township,  History  and  Tradi- 
tions      449 

Cass  Township  Mills 455 

Cass  Township  Mission  Road 452 

Cass  Township  Schools 456 

Cass  Township  Postofflces 454 


X 


INDEX 


Census  of  1836 • 

Census  of  1838 

Census,  1840-1850 °l 

Census  of  1856 J^^ 

Census  of  1865 

Census  of  1870-1875 ^l» 

_  .-Census  of  Towns *° 

^^^^rensus  of  Townships ^»j» 

Ceres.  Town  of 

Chapman,  Ingle 

CHURCHES—  „  •    .  Oft, 

Baptist  Church.  Strawberry  Point  363 

Catholic  Church  ^JZ 

Buena  Vista ^°^ 

Clayton   

Cox  Creek ^«J 

Elkader  ^°^ 

,  Elkport    386 

-W^arnavillo    

V  Guttenberg ^°^ 

.,^y^<^Gveeor   ••••    ^^^ 

Monona   •  • ooc  qr? 

Strawberry  Point ,0! 

Volga  City *'«♦' 

Christian  Scientist,  McGregor.  .  .  356 
Congregational  Church,  Edgewood  327 
Congregational  Church,  Elkader.  331 
■Congregational  Church,  McGregor  355 
■'^ Congregational  Church,  Monona.  349 
Congregational  Church,  Straw- 
berry Point 363 

Evangelical     Frieden's      Church, 

Elkader    332 

Free  Methodist  Church,  Monona.   350 

Lutheran  Church,  Elkport 337 

Lutheran  Church,  Farmersburg. .   338 
U    Lutheran  Church,  Garnavillo  (St. 

I  Peter's)    340 

--4  Xiutheran  Church,  Garnavillo  (St. 

\    Paul's)  339 

Lutheran  Church,  Guttenberg  (St. 

John's)  344 

Lutheran  Church,  Littleport 348 

Lutheran  Church,  Marion    (Nor- 
wegian)     361 

Lutheran    Church,    Monona    (St. 

Paul's)    350 

Lutheran  Church,  Norwa^-,  Wag- 
ner Township   (Norwegian).    361 
Lutheran   C  h  ur  c  h.    Strawberry 

Point 364 

Methodist  Church,  Edgewood 328 

Methodist    Church,    Giard    (Ger- 
man)         342 

Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Gut- 
tenberg       344 

-    Methodist  Church,  McGregor. . .  .    355 

Methodist  Church,  No.  McGregor  360 

Methodist  Church,  Volga  City.  .  .    370 
Presbyterian  Church,  Volga  City  369 

Clayton,  1853  84 

Clayton,  Boom  Days  at 93 

Clayton,  Grain  Shipments  at 100 


Clayton  in  1865 188 

Clayton,   Town  of 325 

Clayton  Center,  Description  of,  1856  107 

Clayton  Center   322 

Clayton  County  Insurance  Co 219 

Clayton  Township  314 

Clues,  Rebecca 62 

Clydesdale  Company 321 

C.   M.   &   St.   P.   Ry.   Yards,   North 

McGregor    359 

Collins,  Lemuel  G 221 

Commissioners,  First 51 

Commissioners,  Last 78 

Commissioners,  Acts  of  1840... 60,     62 

Commissioners,  Acts  of  1841 63 

Commissioners,  Acts  of  1842 65 

Communia,  Description  of,  1856.107-322 

Cook,  A.  P 268 

Coulee  de  Sioux 109 

County    Assessment,    1853 89 

County  Asylum 247 

County,  Business  in,  1853 87  ' 

County  Business  Men  in  1856 105 

County  Bond  Issue 285 

County,  Conditions  in,  1857 114 

County  Expenses 217 

County  Finances,  1853   91 

County  Finances,  1860 133 

County,  Financial  Condition  of .  . . .    289 

County  Government,  1865-1870 201 

County  Government,   1880-1900 245 

County  Government 281 

County,  History  of,  1882 48 

County,  Immigration,  1853 88 

County  Improvements 99 

County  in  1850 75 

County  in  1853 93 

County  in  1855 102 

County  in  1856 106 

County  Jail   136 

County  Markets   99 

County  Officers  326 

County  Organization  and   Bounda- 
ries         31 

County,  Pioneers  of 47 

County  Poor  Farm  Election 133 

County  Poor  Farm,  Purchase  of .  .  .    136 

County  Poor  Farm  Opened 193 

County  Population,  1856 110 

County  Population,  1890-1900 280 

County,  Proposed  Division  of 184 

County,  Present  View 325 

County  Supervisors 135 

County  Resources  in  1853 81 

County  Taxes  for  1915 284 

County  Under  Mulct  Law 248 

County,  Wealth  of 281 

County  Seat  at  Prairie  La  Porte.  .  .      54 

County  Seat,  First  Election 73 

County  Seat  to  Elkader 103 

County  Seat  Election,  1857 112 

County  Seat  Election,  1857 113 

County  Seat  Election,  1858 120 

County  Seat  Election,  1860 13a 


INDEX 


XI 


Courts,  First 51 

Courts,  Early  Sessions 56 

Courts,  Early  District 68 

Courts,  Early  Probate 67 

Courts  Under  Judge  Wilson 74 

Courts  in  the  '40s 74 

Court  House,  Beginning  of 136-7 

Court  House,  Appropriations  for. .    199 

Court  House  Completed 216 

Cornell  Murder 257 

Cox  Creek  Township 315 

Creameries   254 

Crosby,  J.  0 112,  124,  301 

Cyclone  of  1899 250 

Davis,  L.  D 271 

Davis,  Timothy 398 

Death  Roll,  1900-1916 301-307 

Democratic  Party,  1854 95 

Diamond  Joe   178 

D'Iberville,  Pierre  Le  Moyne 20 

Dickens,  Mrs.  Ann 421 

Dickens,  Edward 273 

Dinan,  Patrick 277 

Draft,  Enrollment  for 148 

Draft,  Avoidance  of 151 

Draft  Ordered 152 

Draft,  Supplementary 153 

Drips,  Capt.  A.  W 146 

Drips,  T.  G.,  Attack  on 96 

Drips,   Capt.   T.    G.,   Death  of 198 

Downie,   John    196-268 

Dubuque  Road 460 

East  Elkport 322 

Eberhardt,  J.  M 266 

Edgewood  327 

Eiboeck,  Joseph 

124,   125,   126,   132,   149,   215,  305 

Election,  First 53 

Election  of  1842 68 

Election,  Special,  1853 87 

Election,  1853    89 

Election,  August,  1856 110 

Election  of  1857 116 

Election,  1858    122 

Election  Results,  1858 123 

Election  County  Poor  Farm 133 

Election  of  1864 152 

Elections,  Tables  of 465-489 

Elkader,  Contests  for  County  Seat.      73 

Elkader,  1853  86. 

Elkader  Wins  County  Seat 103 

Elkader,  Description  of  1856 107 

Elkader,  County  Seat  at 130 

Elkader  Mill  Fire 134 

Elkader  in  1865 188 

Elkader  Woolen  Factory  Project. ..  200 

Elkader  "Firsts"   200 

Elkader,  1870-80   235 

Elkader  Bridge   189-246 

Elkader  Fair   253 

Elkader,  1880-1900    261-264 

Elkader  Opera  House 292,  293 

Elkader  Band 292 

Elkader,  Events,  1900-1916 292-297 


Elkader  School  Building 295 

Elkader  Beginnings 313 

Elkader  Postmasters 314 

Elkader  City  Government 330 

Elkins  Murder 256 

Elkport 53,  189,  322,  336 

Elk  Township 315 

Enfield,  Town  of 220 

Enlistments  in  1862 147 

Eno,  William  P 275 

Everall,  John 216 

Everall,  Richard 270 

Explorers,  Early  French 17-20 

Falconer,    Alex 271 

Farmersburg    315 

Farmersburg  City  Government.  .  . .    337 

Farmersburg  Township 316 

Farmers'  Institutes 286 

Fenianism     2OO 

Ferry,  First  Steam no 

Flaherty,  Thomas    268 

Fleck,  Maurice 270 

Floods  of  1865 192 

Floods,  1866   196 

Floods,  1880-1895    248 

Floods  of  1896 249 

Flood  Record,  1900-1915 289 

Flood  of  1916 290 

Fisher,    M.    L. 101,    112,     184,225 

Forbes,  B.  F 117 

Fox,  B.  F 270 

Frenchtown   315 

Frese,  G.  Henry  275 

Froehlich,  Henry   276 

Froelich,  Town  of 317 

Fur  Traders 34-38 

Garnavillo,  Name  Changed 70 

Garnavillo,  Lots  Sold 73 

Garnavillo,  1853    85 

Garnavillo,  Description  of,  1856...    107 

Garnavillo  In  1865 188 

Garnavillo    316 

Garnavillo  City  Government 339 

Garnavillo  &  Guttenberg  Railroad.    287 

Garber  322 

Garber  City  Government 337 

Garber,  John  269 

Gates,  LB 227 

Giard,  Basil 23 

-  Giard,    Giant 23 

Giard  Postofflce  Established 100 

Giard  Grant  Litigation |  123 

Giard  in  1865 189 

Giard    342 

Giard  Township  317 

Giard  Village 317 

Gifford,    George   L 276 

GifEord,   Rev.  Henry 266 

Gilchrist,  W.  J 270 

Gillett,  John  W 224 

Goddard.  A.  M 267 

Gold,   Discovery  of 123 

Gold,  Second  Discovery  of 219 

Golden  Circle,  Knights  of 150 


xu 


INDEX 


Good  Roads  Movement 284 

Good  Templars  132 

Grand  Meadow  Convention 98 

Grand  Meadow  Township 317 

Granger.  H,  S 79.  98,     99 

Grant,  Judge  James 75 

Guttenberg,  Beginnings  of 69 

Guttenberg,  1853 83 

Guttenberg,  Improvements  at 90 

Guttenberg,   1856    106 

Guttenberg  Wins  County  Seat 113 

Guttenberg  County  Seat  Election. .   120 

Guttenberg  in  1865 187 

Guttenberg,   Growth  of 259 

Guttenberg  City  Government 343 

Hagensick,  Christ 267 

Hagensick,  C.  W 267 

Hagerty  Murder 198 

Hamilton,  Dr.  H.  H 266 

Hamilton,  Norman 267 

Hardin    104,  321 

Hartge,  Fred  223 

Hartge,  Murder  of 71 

Hartrich,  Mrs.  C 292 

Hatch,  Judge  L.  0 273 

Heckel,  F.  B 281 

Hennepin,  Father 19 

Henry  Creek  Postoffice 104 

Highland,  Town  of 100 

Highland  Township 317 

Hill,  James  M 271 

Hoffbauer,  Dr.  Wm 271 

Hofer,  Adam  271 

Holtzbecker,  Henry,  Killing  of 65 

Hop  Industry 200 

Hunt,  B.  T.,  Death  of 236 

Hunt,  William 270 

Huntting,  W.  F 271 

Indian  History   32 

Indian  Wars    38-40 

Indians  at  McGregor 120 

Iowa,  Birth  of 29 

Iowa,  Census  of,  1836 31 

Iowa,  Settlement  of 45 

-Jacksonville,  Founding  of 66 

Jacksonville 316 

Jail,  County 136 

Jail  Deliveries 258 

Jail,  First  County 70 

Jefferson  Township 317 

Jordan,  A.  J 221 

Karberg,  Peter 268 

Kellner,  Henry   267 

Kerosene  First  Advertised 133 

Kinsley,  Guy 425 

Knapp,  Buel 276 

Knight,  Willard   226 

Kreibs,  John  P 227 

Lahontau,  Baron 20 

Larkin,  John   272 

Leach,  J.  M 272 

Le  Suer,  Pierre  Charles 20 

Licenses,  Ferry 61 

Licenses,  First  54 


Lincoln,  Death  of 154 

Linton,   Dr.   John 222 

Little,  Dr.  Samuel 407 

Littleport   in    1865 189 

Littleport  City  Government 347 

LODGES  AND  CLUBS— 

A.  O.  U.  W.,  Strawberry  Point. . .   367 

Auto  Club,  Elkader 96,  334 

Auto     Trails     Association,     Mc- 
Gregor     357 

Boy  Scouts,  McGregor 356 

BROTHERHOOD    OF   AMERICAN 
YEOMEN — 

Edgewood 329 

Elkader    334 

y,Guttenberg    346 

vr^„McGregor   357 

Monona   353 

North  McGregor  359 

Volga  City  369 

CATHOLIC    ORDER    OP    FORES- 
TERS— 

Elkader   335 

•McGregor   357 

Community  Club,  Guttenberg. . . .  344 

Coterie  Club,  Elkader 336 

EASTERN   STAR— 

Elkader   336 

Guttenberg 346 

Monona   ZZZ 

McGregor    357 

Strawberry  Point 366 

Frauen    "Verein,    Littleport 348 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUB- 
LIC— 

Elkader     333 

Monona    351 

Strawberry   Point    365 

INDEPENDENT  ORDER  OP  ODD 
FELLOWS — 

Elkport    337 

Garnavillo    340 

Guttenberg     345 

Monona    352 

Strawberry  Point 365 

Ingleside  Club,  Guttenberg 344 

Knights  of  Pythias,  Edgewood...  329 
Ladies'  Tourist  Club,  McGregor...  357 
MASONIC  LODGE — 

Edgewood    329 

Elkader    332 

Farmersburg    338 

Garnavillo 341 

Guttenberg    345 

Monona    352 

McGregor     357 

Strawberry  Point  366 

MODERN   BROTHERHOOD   OF 
AMERICA— 

Elkport    3S7 

Farmersburg    338 

Littleport    348 


INDEX 


Xlll 


Monona     353 

MODERN  WOODMEN  OF  AMER- 
ICA— 

Edgewood   330 

Elkader   333 

Elkport    337 

Farmersburg   338 

qp^Garnavillo    341 

Guttenberg     345 

Monona    353 

McGregor 357 

Strawberry  Point  365 

Mystic  Workers,  Guttenberg 347 

P.  E.  O.,  Elkader 334 

P.  E.  O.,  Strawberry  Point 367 

Pythian    Sisters,    Edgewood 328 

Rebekah    Lodge,    Elkader 335 

Rebekah  Lodge.  Garnavlllo 342 

Rebekah  Lodge,  Osterdock 360 

ROYAL   NEIGHBORS    OF   AMER- 
ICA— 

Guttenberg    347 

Farmersburg    339 

Littleport     348 

Strawberry  Point    367 

Volga  City   369 

urn  Vereln,   Garnavlllo 342 

Women's   Court   of   Foresters,   El- 
kader      335 

Woman's  Relief  Corps,  Edgewood.  328 

Woodman  Circle,  North  McGregor.  359 
WOODMEN  OF  THE  WORLD — 

McGregor    357 

,  North    McGregor    359 

/  Lodomlllo  Township 318 

Louisiana   Purchase    25 

Louisiana  Under  American  Rule.  .26-29 

Lowry,  Rev.  David 221 

Luana   Buffalo   Farm 286 

Luana    321 

Luana  City  Government 348 

Luana  Consolidated  School 348 

Mails,  Early  Stage  Lines 91 

Mails,  Pioneer  Carrier 92 

Mallory  Township   318 

Marais,    Chevalier    314 

Marin,    Pierre    Paul 21 

Marion   Township    319 

Marquette,    Father    Jacques. .  .17-18-19 

McGonigle,    C.    L 274 

McGulre,   James 267 

McGregor,   Alexander    ^-^ 403 

IWCGregor,  James,  Death  of  .V. 197 


McGregor   In    1865 187 

McGregor   in   1870-75 232 

McGregor    in    1900-1916 297 

McGregor  Land  Titles   ...115,  129,  177 
McGregor,    Methodist    Chautauqua 

at     254 

McGregor,  Progress  of 203 

McGregor  Progress  1880-1900 260 

McGregor,    Prosperity    of 90 

Mederville     315 

Medical  Association   Formed 219 

Mendon  Township 319 

Mentzel,  Chas 274 

Merrill,    S 125-186-204-212-405 

Mlllville— First  Settled    48 

Millville.  1853    85 

Mlllville   Township    320 

Mining,  1853 88 

Mining,    Lead    90 

Mississippi,     Discovery     by     Mar-.. 

quette 17 

Mississippi,  Freedom  of  the 24 

Mississippi,  Rafting  on  the 180 

Mississippi,  Traffic  1852 86 

Mississippi,    Traffic    1865-70 199 

Missouri    Territory    28 

Missouri,  Admission  of   29 

Monlux,  Geo 416 

Monona,  Beginnings  of 321 

Monona  In  1853 8« 

Monona  in  1865 189 

Monona,   Progress  of    203 

Monona  City  Government 349 

Monona  Township    320 

Morasser  Township,  Establishment 

of   104 

Motor   322 

Murdock,   Louisa    424 

Murdock,  Samuel 124,  277,  392,  413 

National    104 

National   Park    300 

National     Park     Association,     Mc-  ^ 

Gregor    3*57 

Neutral  Ground 41 

Newberry,  Hon.  B.  W 449 

NEWSPAPERS— 

Advertiser,  Elkader 133 

Clayton  County  Democrat,  Elka- 
der     331 

First 79 

In   1858    119 

In   1859    125 

Journal,  Edgewood   327 


McGregor,   City   Government 354 

McGregor,    City   Indebtedness 23*1'' 

McGregor   During  the  War 179  i> 

McGregor,    Early    Incident   in 459   - 

,,J^cGregor,  Early   History  o^.  ..110-111 

lacGregor,    Golden   Days   of 175' 

McGregor,  Hard  Times  of  1857/'..  117 

McGregor,  Incomes  in   1868 197 

McGregor  in   1853 83 

McGregor  in   1854 96 


V>c 


McGregor,   Beginnings  of...V.-. ...   319,«V- Journal,  The  Clayton  County...    123 


Leader,    Monona 349 

Mall  Press,  Strawberry  Point.  .  .  363 

News,  Volga  City    369 

Nord  Iowa  Herold,  Elkader 331 

North  Iowa  Times,  McGregor  108-354 

Press,   Guttenberg    344 

Register,   Elkader,  Founded 236 

Register  &  Argus,  Elkader 331 

Tribune,   Elkader   110 

Tribune,    Garnavlllo    339 


XIV 


INDEX 


Nlcklaus,  Jacob,  Death  of 195 

Noble,   R 92,    101,   104,   108,    118,    125 

131,  135.  183,  186,  204,  214,  276 
North  McGregor  City  Government  358 
North  McGregor,  Beginnings  of...   319 

North  McGregor,  Fire  at 232 

North  McGregor  in  1857 118 

North    McGregor,    Pontoon    Bridge 

at    179 

North  McGregor,  Progress  of 203 

Norwegians,  Coming  of 116 

Oathout,  George   421 

Oathout,    S.    H    268 

Odell,  Elijah 220 

Old  Settlers'  Edition 287 

Old  Settlers'  Reunion 227 

Old  Settlers'   First  Reunion 228 

Old  Settlers'   Second  Reunion 230 

Old  Settlers'  Reunions,  1880-1900..    250 

Olmsted,   P.   P 419 

Osterdock  City  Government 360 

Osborne    315 

Otis,   Geo.   H 260 

Paddelford,   John    274 

Partch,   James  T 277 

Patch,  Luther   269 

Peace  Party,  1863 149 

Pearl  Button  Industry 298 

Pearson,  Richard,  Probate  Judge..     67 

Peet,   S.   R 223 

Penfleld,  Wm.  A 273 

Perrot,    Nicholas    19-20 

Pictured  Rocks   300 

Pike,  Lt.  Zebulon  M 28 

Pike's  Peak    300 

Pike's  Peak,  Rush  to 133 

Pioneers  of  Clayton  County 47 

Pioneers  1840-1844    59-60 

Pirates  Captured    120 

Place,  R.  C 270 

Pond,  Peter   22 

Politics  in   1854 95 

Politics,  Conventions  of  1854 97 

Politics,  Influence  in  State 101 

Politics  in  1856   109 

Politics   in    1857 116 

Politics,  Campaign  of  1858 121 

Politics   in    1859 123 

Politics,  Campaign  of  1860 130 

Politics  in  Wartimes 182 

Politics,  Campaign  of  1862 184 

\    ,     Politics,  Peace  Party  1863 184 

Politics — Second  Lincoln  Campaign  185 

'     Politics,  Campaign  of  1865 186 

Politics   After   the  War 203 

Political  Campaign  of  1868 204 

Politics,  Campaign  of  1869 205 

Politics,   1870-1880    212 

Politics,  1872    213 

Politics,  1873    213 

Politics,    Hays-Tilden    Campaign..   214 
Politics,  People's  Party  in  1874...    214 

Politics,    Greenback    Party 215 

Politics,    1880-1900     240 


Politics — Free  Silver  Campaign...   244 

Politics  of  the  20th  Century 307 

Politics — Roosevelt    Campaign....   308 

Politics,  Election  of   1908 309 

Politics,    Primary,    First 309 

Politics,  Murphy-Haugen   Contest.   310 

Politics,  Campaign   of   1912 310 

Politics,    Election   of    1914 311 

Politics,  Primary  of  1916 311 

Politics,    Suffrage   Election 312 

Poor  Farm  Murder 219 

Potter,   Murder  of 124 

Potts,   John  W 224 

Prairie  La  Porte — 

First  Commissioners  Meet  at. .  .      51 

First  County  Seat 54 

Prayer,    Day    of 145 

Price,  Eliphalet,   49,  67,  68,  95,  112, 

148-183-265-394-428-431-446 

Price,  Mrs  E.,   Death  of 193 

Price,    R.    E 242 

Pritchard,   Murder  of 203 

Primary,    The    First 309 

Prohibition    Amendment    Election.    241 

Quigley,    Jos.    B 268 

Quigley,    Rev.    J.    J 270 

Railroad,  Davenport  &  Northwest- 
ern       210 

Railroad,   Iowa  Eastern 208-211-261 

Railroad  Projects,   1857 112-201 

Railroad,    Reaches    River 115 

Railroad,  River  Road  Constructed.    207 

Railroad,   West   of   McGregor 176 

Railroad,  Volga  Valley  Line 210 

Rangers  Go  to  War 144 

Read,   Robert  R. — 

Appointed    Clerk    65 

Death    of    190 

Read,  Mrs.  R.  R.,  Death  of 197 

Read    Township 104-321 

Rechfus    Murder    255 

Reese,    Polly,    Auction   of 65 

Reugnitz,    Carl,    Sr 266 

Reugnitz,    Chas 307-240 

Reuther,   Louis 227 

Reminiscences    of    Pioneers 413 

Reynolds,    "Diamond    Joe" 178 

Richardson,  Col.  A.  P 108-120-131 

Richardson,    Rufus    271 

Ringling  Bros 233 

Rivers     and     Streams,     Origin     of 

Names    431 

Rounds,    J.    C 271 

Rural  Free  Delivery 286 

Sacs  and  Foxes 32 

St.  Olaf,  City  Government 361 

Sanitary  Fair    152 

Sanitary   Society    150 

Sand,    Mosaics    299 

Schneider,    Hy 267 

Schoch,   Chas.,  Sr 272 

School  System,  Progress  of 181-287 

Schuette,  H.   L 266 

Shelhammer,   J.   B 277 


INDEX 


XV 


Sherman,    Edward    271 

Sherman,    P.   "W 269 

Sherman,    M.    B 276 

Shoulte,    J.    H 276 

Slgel,   P.   O.  Established 190 

Skinner,    W.    A 269 

Smith,  Rev.  W.  B 273 

Snedigar,    Fielding    270 

Soldier,    First    Killed 145 

Soldiers'    Cenotaph    197 

Soldiers'  Cenotaph  Society 148 

Soldiers,   Homecoming  of 154 

Soldiers'    Monuments    285 

SOLDIERS,  RECORD  OF— 

3rd   Infantry    I57 

9th    Infantry .  15g 

12th  Infantry    ."".',  igo 

21st    Infantry    160 

27th   Infantry    "  163 

1st  Cavalry    165 

6th  Cavalry    jgg 

7th   Cavalry    Ig7 

8th    Cavalry 168 

2nd  Infantry    Igg 

2nd   Veteran  Infantry    I68 

5th  Infantry    I69 

6th   Infantry    I69 

13th  Infantry    ][  I69 

15th   Infantry    I69 

16th   Infantry    I69 

34th   Infantry    I69 

37th   Infantry    '  169 

38th   Infantry    I69 

44th   Infantry    169 

46th   Infantry    169 

47th   Infantry   169 

48th   Infantry    169 

2nd  Cavalry  169 

4th  Cavalry    169 

5th   Cavalry    169 

9th  Cavalry    170 

1st  Battery    170 

3rd  Battery    170 

4th  Battery    170 

Engineer  Regt.  of  "West 170 

15th  Missouri  Infantry 170 

3rd  Missouri  Cavalry 170 

4th  Missouri  Cavalry 170 

5th  Missouri  Cavalry 170 

12th    Illinois    Infantry 170 

43rd    Illinois    Infantry 170 

2nd  Kansas  Cavalry 170 

6th    Wisconsin    Infantry 170 

7th   Wisconsin    Infantry 171 

U.    S.    Colored    Infantry 171 

Soldiers'    Relief  Work 143 

Soldiers'    Reunions    251 

Soldiers,  Roll  of  Honor 171-174 

Spanish-American  War    264 

Sperry  Township   322 


Sterns,  Elder  D.  M 267 

Stephens,  W.   H 269 

Stewart,   E.   W 276 

Stoneman,  J.  T 131-216 

Strawberry    Point.  .104-189-212-314-362 

Street,   Joseph  M 41-2 

Stuben  Guards    148 

Supervisors,  First  Board  of 135 

Supervisors,   List  of 489-492 

Supervisors,   System  Changed 137 

Sweeney,  Mildred.  Death  of 291 

Taft,   George    266 

Tapper,   James    269 

Tax    Ferrets     282 

Teachers'     Institutes 124-202-212 

Telephones,    First    259 

Temperance   Issue,    1875 214 

Third  Iowa  Infantry,  Dept.  of 142 

Thoma,   Fred    272 

Thoma,    J.   P 266 

Thoma,    William     221 

Towns,    1880-1900     258 

Towns,   When   Platted 492 

Townships,    Organization     52-53 

Townships,    Early    Precincts 69 

Townships,    Ten    Named 72 

Townships  and  Towns  Beginnings 

of     313-323 

Traders.   Early   American 21 

Turkey  River,  Steamboats  on 96 

Turkey  River,  Navigation  of... 195-446 

"Union   Party"    182 

Uriell,  Michael    411 

Updegraff,    Thos,     104-124-147-186- 
213-215-408. 

Volga    City,     1853 85-189-322-368 

Volga    Township    322 

Volunteers    at    McGregor 141 

Volunteers,  Response  of 139 

Wagner,  P.  O.  Established 190 

Wagner    Township    323 

West   McGregor    297-32ft- 

Wayman,  W.   W 62-63 

Windsor,   Founding  of 106 

WINNEBAGOES — 

Origin     34 

Treaties   with    42 

In   Iowa    43 

Winkley,    Alonzo    266 

Winter,    Ira    P 270 

Williams,   Judge  E.  H.  ..  78-123-210-390 

Wilson,   Henry,   Death  of 297 

Wilson,  Judge  T.  S 57 

Witmer   Homestead   Case 265 

Women   in   the  War 145 

Woodward,   John,   Death  of 198 

Woodward,    S.    T 189-267-415 

Yankee   Settlement,  Founding  of... 104 

In    1865    189 

Young,    P.    C 269 


CHAPTER  I 


EARLIEST  HISTORY— 1673-1833 

PERE  MARQUETTE  AND  EARLY  EXPLORERS — UNDER  FRANCE  AND  SPAIN — 
FIRST  AMERICANS — THE   GIARD  GRANT — FREEDOM   OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI 

LOUISIANA  PURCHASE — UNDER  THE   STARS  AND   STRIPES BIRTH   OF 

IOWA INDIAN   HISTORY — FUR  TRADERS — INDIAN  WARFARE — NEUTRAL 

GROUND BLACKHAWK  PURCHASE SETTLEMENT  OF  IOWA. 

WITH  swift,  strong  paddle  strokes,  two  heavily  laden  birch  bark 
canoes  glide  down  the  broad  current  of  the  Wisconsin.  It  is  the 
17th  of  June,  1673.  The  sky  is  fair,  the  hills  on  either  side  are 
covered  with  thick  woods,  the  grass  is  bright  with  a  myriad  of  flowers. 
Day  after  day,  the  explorers  had  pursued  the  journey,  led  on  by  the 
vague  reports  of  Indian  warriors,  of  a  great  river,  the  greatest  river 
of  them  all,  that  had  its  sources  in  the  frozen  northland  and  emptied 
into  some  unknown  sea. 

In  the  prow  of  the  foremost  of  the  frail  craft,  sits  a  Father  of  the 
Brotherhood  of  Jesus  Christ.  He  is  a  young  man,  but  frail,  and,  with 
his  priestly  garb,  his  mild  and  not  un-Christlike  face,  he  seems 
strangely  out  of  place  in  this  rough  wilderness.  The  leader  of  the 
other  canoe  is  his  exact  antithesis,  alert,  wiry,  inured  to  hardship, 
versed  in  all  the  skill  of  woodcraft;  an  ill-assorted  pair,  perhaps,  but 
combining  just  the  qualities  which  were  to  give  their  beloved  Church 
and  their  beloved  France  the  most  fertile  empire  the  world  has  ever 
known. 

Suddenly,  a  shout  of  joy  and  praise  arises,  for,  before  their 
enraptured  gaze,  appears  the  river  of  their  quest ;  broader,  swifter, 
stronger  than  even  they  in  their  fondest  dreams  had  imagined;  the 
mightiest  river  in  the  world.  And  as  they  looked  over  the  broad 
expanse  their  eyes  rested  upon  mile  after  mile  of  great  majestic  hills, 
rising  sheer  from  the  water's  edge,  with  wooded  slopes  and  crowned 
hy  sentinel  rocks,  towering  like  castles  on  the  Rhine.  Then  it  was, 
that  for  the  first  time,  the  eye  of  a  white  man  beheld  Iowa,  the  Beautiful 
Land,  and,  at  that  moment,  began  the  known  history  of  Iowa,  and  of 
Clayton  county. 

In  the  great  river.  Father  Jacques  Marquette  and  his  companion, 
Louis  Joliet,  saw  the  fulfillment  of  their  mission,  and  knew  that  they 
had  opened  to  the  world,  a  new  and  wonderful  field  of  endeavor,  but 
even  they  could  not  have   foreseen  the  splendid  civilization  which, 


l8  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

to-day,  has  transformed  this  wilderness  into  a  veritable  paradise  of 
happy  homes. 

Urging  his  boatmen,  and  directing  their  course  across  the  more 
than  mile-wide  river,  Marquette  stood  in  the  canoe,  gazing  upon  the 
approaching  shore,  and,  in  mid-stream,  he  raised  the  emblem  of  the 
Cross,  and  gave  to  the  river  the  name  so  near  his  heart,  the  name  so 
often  on  his  lips,  and  called  it  the  river  of  the  "Immaculate  Concep- 
tion." They  disembarked  on  the  opposite  shore,  a  short  distance 
below  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  and  thus,  in  Clayton  county,  was 
set  the  first  white  foot  that  ever  trod  the  soil  of  Iowa. 

It  is  not  the  purpose  of  this  work  to  relate  the  history  of  America, 
or  of  the  United  States  or  of  the  state  of  Iowa,  except  as  they  relate, 
directly,  to  the  history  of  Clayton  county.  Nevertheless,  so  closely 
interwoven  is  the  history  of  Clayton  county  with  the  history  of  the 
United  States,  that  it  will  be  necessary  to  dwell  upon  those  facts  which 
shall  fix  the  relationship  of  the  county  to  the  nation  as  a  whole. 
Again,  all  the  changes  in  government,  all  the  great  events  of  national 
history,  affected,  intimately,  the  lives  of  the  pioneers,  and  Clayton 
county's  proper  place  in  history  cannot  be  appreciated  without  some 
knowledge  of  the  larger  events  which  brought  it  into  being  and  con- 
trolled its  destiny. 

Marquette  and  Joliet  lingered  but  a  short  time  upon  the  shores  of 
Clayton  county.  They  encamped,  killed  game  and  caught  fish.  They 
climbed  the  rugged  blufifs  and  saw,  spread  at  their  feet,  the  wonderful 
panorama  of  the  Upper  Mississippi.  Opposite  them,  on  the  Wisconsin 
shore,  were  rolling  prairies  covered  with  tall  grass  that  waved  in  the 
June  breeze.  Deer  and  elk  were  grazing  on  the  meadow.  Around 
about  them,  were  lofty,  wooded,  rocky  hills  and  deep  gorges,  gay  with 
rich  foliage  and  flowers ;  chasms  cut  by  the  gushing  torrents  of  pre- 
historic times.  In  the  river  were  beautiful,  low- lying  islands,  gleam- 
ing in  the  bright  sunlight  like  emeralds  upon  the  bosom  of  the  waters. 
Back  of  them,  the  wavering  lines  of  trees  and  bushes  marked  the 
courses  of  creeks  and  streams  which  cleft  the  billows  of  the  broad 
and  ocean-like  expanse  of  prairie. 

Father  Marquette,  speaking  of  this  expedition  of  discovery,  tells 
of  the  "joy  which  he  could  not  express"  and  describes  the  Iowa  high- 
land as  "a  large  chain  of  very  high  mountains." 

For  the  purpose  of  this  history,  it  is  needless  to  follow  Marquette 
and  Joliet  in  their  long  journey  which  took  them  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Arkansas  river  and  back  to  the  Great  Lakes  by  way  of  the  Rock  river ; 
Marquette  to  remain  with  his  beloved  Indians  for  the  short  span  of 
life  remaining  to  him  and  Joliet  to  return  to  Montreal  in  a  perilous 
journey,  during  which  the  priceless  records  of  the  expedition  were  lost. 

Marquette  represented  the  highest  type  of  the  Christian  mission- 
ary and  pioneer.  He  came  with  nothing  but  love  and  friendship  in  his 
heart  and  it  is  to  the  credit  of  the  aborigines  that  they  met  him  in  the 
same  spirit,  and  that,  in  spite  of  their  savage  state,  their  natural  fear 
of  these  unknown  whites  and  the  bloody  wars  in  which  they  were 
engaged  among  themselves,  they  greeted  the  great  missionary  with 
hospitality  and  warm  expressions  of  friendship. 


EARLIEST   HISTORY — 1 673- 1 833  I9 

One  can  but  feel  that  had  all  the  white  men  come  into  the  west 
with  the  same  high  purpose  shown  by  Marquette,  the  frightful  tales  of 
bloodshed,  and  of  massacre  need  never  have  been  told.  In  the  light 
of  subsequent  events  the  words  of  the  Indian  chief  in  welcome  to 
Marquette  are  pathetic.  The  chief  said:  "How  beautiful  the  sun  is, 
O  Frenchman,  when  thou  comest  to  visit  us.  All  our  village  awaits 
thee,  and  thou  shalt  enter  all  our  cabins  in  peace.  How  good  it  is,  my 
brothers,  that  you  should  visit  us." 

There  is  something  pathetic  in  this  welcome,  when  the  squaws 
hastened  to  build  the  fires  before  the  tepee  doors,  when  the  venison 
steaks  were  broiled,  when  the  pipe  of  peace  was  presented,  and,  in  the 
name  of  the  Great  Spirit,  the  chiefs  welcome  their  white  brothers  to 
their  homes.  Could  Manitou  have  told  them  what  the  future  had  in 
store,  could  they  have  foretold  that  their  tribes  were  to  be  scattered, 
that  their  council  fires  were  to  be  quenched,  that  the  wild  deer  were  to 
be  driven  from  their  hunting  grounds  and  that,  at  last,  they  were  to 
remain  a  beggarly,  illkempt,  despised  remnant;  living,  without  hope, 
upon  the  generosity  of  a  conquering  race,  what  would  their  reception 
have  been? 

The  next  traveler  along  the  shores  of  Clayton  county  was  Father 
Hennepin,  who,  under  the  direction  of  La  Salle,  explored  the  upper 
reaches  of  the  "Meschasipi."  The  members  of  this  expedition  fell 
into  the  hands  of  the  Indians  but  were  ransomed  by  Du  Lhut,  the  great 
wood  ranger,  and  conducted,  by  him,  back  to  Montreal  by  way  of  the 
Wisconsin  river.  While  Father  Hennepin  was  a  great  missionary, 
this  party,  under  the  auspices  of  La  Salle,  went  largely  for  the  purpose 
of  exploration  and  for  trade  with  the  Indians.  This  was  in  the 
year  1680. 

The  vast  regions  of  the  northwest  were  of  no  value  to  the  white 
man  except  for  the  rich  furs  obtained  from  the  Indians  in  trade.  This 
fur  trade  was  highly  profitable,  great  companies,  backed  by  large  capi- 
tal, being  formed  in  France,  in  England  and  later,  in  America. )  They 
obtained  grants  and  concessions  which  made  them  almost  absolute 
monarchs  of  the  western  country.  These  powers,  they,  in  turn,  dele- 
gated to  their  representatives  who  sent  traders  and  voyageurs  to  the 
very  limits  of  the  continent,  into  the  frozen  northlands,  beyond  the 
Arctic  Circle,  throughout  all  the  woods  of  the  lake  region,  up  and 
down  the  Mississippi,  across  the  prairie,  ascending  the  Missouri  until 
the  Rocky  mountains  barred  their  path. 

(  Over  the  red  men,  these  traders  and  factors  held,  virtually,  the 
power  of  life  and  death.  According  as  they  were  honest  or  dishon- 
est, just  or  unjust,  scrupulous  or  unscrupulous,  depended  the  Indian's 
fate.  Nicholas  Perrot  was  appointed  "Commandant  of  the  West"  in 
1685.  He  came  to  the  upper  Mississippi  by  the  Wisconsin  river  route, 
established  forts,  opened  trade  with  the  Indians  and,  on  May  9,  1689. 
took  formal  possession  of  this  region  in  the  name  of  the  King  of 
France.  Some  writers  claim  that  he  established  a  post  on  the  western 
bank  of  the  Mississippi,  some  twelve  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the 
Wisconsin  river.  To  him,  also,  came  reports  of  rich  lead  mines  located 
in  the  Dubuque-Galena  district,  and  it  is  certain  that  he  established  a 
post  in  that  vicinity.     These  things  indicate  that,  more  than  two  cen- 


20  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

turies  ago,  the  Mississippi  river,  along  the  stores  of  Clayton  county, 
was  the  great  highway,  a  center  of  trade  and  traffic  and  that  Indians 
from  many  leagues  around  glided  down  the  waters  of  the  Turkey  and 
the  Volga  with  canoes  heavy  laden  with  the  rich  pelts  of  the  many 
wild  animals  with  which  the  woods  abounded. 

Pierre  Charles  Le  Sueur  was  another  of  these  early  adventurers. 
He  came  first  to  this  region  in  1683  and,  again,  in  the  summer  of 
1700.  On  this  journey  he  made  the  voyage  up  the  Mississippi  with  a 
felucca  and  two  canoes  manned  by  nineteen  persons.  One  of  the 
members  of  this  party  describes  the  voyage,  and,  concerning  this  dis- 
trict, he  says:  "We  found  upon  the  right  and  left  mines  of  lead  which 
are  called  to  this  day  the  mines  of  Nicholas  Perrot,  which  is  the  name 
of  the  man  who  discovered  them.  Twenty  leagues  higher  upon  the 
right,  we  found  the  mouth  of  a  big  river  called  the  Ouisconsin.  Oppo- 
site its  mouth  there  are  four  islands  in  the  Mississipy  and  a  mountain 
opposite  to  the  left,  very  high,  half  a  league  long."  The  name 
"Perrot's  Lead  Mines"  was  appHed  to  a  large  region,  long  after  the 
discoverer's  departure  from  the  west,  when  trade  was  diverted  south- 
ward down  the  Mississippi  to  the  loss  of  the  Canadian  traders. 

Another  traveler  in  this  region  was  Baron  Lahontan.  He  also 
traveled  the  Wisconsin  river  route  and  the  Munchausen-like  account 
of  his  wonderful  discoveries  was  a  "best  seller"  in  Europe  in  about  the 
year  1700.  Another  interesting  relic  of  the  early  days  is  a  map  of 
Louisiana  and  the  course  of  the  Mississippi,  published  by  William 
De  LTsle,  the  French  map  maker,  in  1703.  This  map  indicates,  by 
two  fine  parallel  lines,  a  trader's  trail,  commencing  at  the  Mississippi 
river,  a  few  miles  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  and  run- 
ning westward  across  northern  Iowa,  through  the  Iowa  lake  district 
and  as  far,  probably,  as  the  present  city  of  Sioux  Falls,  South  Dakota. 

Up  to  this  time,  the  traders  and  explorers  along  the  upper  Mis- 
sissippi had  been  directed  from  Canada,  but,  in  1699,  Pierre  Le  Moyne 
D'Iberville  arrived  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  became  the 
father  and  the  Governor  of  Louisiana.  His  kinsman,  Le  Sueur,  was 
perhaps  the  first  French  voyageur  to  ascend  the  Mississippi  from  its 
mouth  and,  in  the  years  that  followed,  a  bitter  trade  was  carried 
on  between  French  traders,  having  St.  Louis  and  New  Orleans  as 
their  base  and  French  traders  hailing  from  Montreal.  This  situation 
was  complicated  by  an  uprising  by  the  Renard,  or  Fox,  Indians,  who 
opposed  the  encroachments  of  the  French  and  who,  for  the  next  fif- 
teen years,  pillaged  and  harassed  the  traders  and  made  their  business 
unprofitable  by  preventing  friendly  Indians  from  trading  with  them. 

UNDER  FRANCE  AND  SPAIN 

In  1 7 12,  the  French  Government,  finding  this  new  world  only  a 
source  of  trouble,  conferred  on  Crozat,  a  rich  Parisian  banker,  the 
exclusive  trade  of  Louisiana  and,  for  five  years,  this  territory,  of 
which  Iowa  is  but  a  portion,  was  under  the  control  of  one  man. 
Crozat  made  some  attempts  at  colonization,  but,  in  171 7,  he  tired  of 
his  bargain  and  gave  up  the  privileges  conferred  upon  him.  John  Law, 
with  the  famous  "Mississippi  Bubble,"  with  which  he  gulled  the  people 


EARLIEST   HISTORY — 1673-1833  21 

of  France,  created  an  era  of  wildest  speculation  and  finally  bank- 
rupted a  nation,  was  the  next  ruler  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  The 
colony  then  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  "Company  of  the  Indies"  and, 
in  1731,  it  reverted  as  a  direct  dependency  to  the  King  of  France. 

Louis  XIV  dreamed  vague  dreams  and  squandered  fortunes  for 
the  establishment  of  a  mighty  empire  in  the  western  world,  but  he  was 
hampered  by  the  great  and  growing  unrest  in  his  own  country  and  by 
continual  war  with  other  countries,  so  that,  at  one  time,  all  the  sta- 
tions on  the  Mississippi,  from  the  south,  were  abandoned  and  even  the 
traders  returned  to  their  far  Canadian  homes,  leaving  this  territory  in 
the  undisputed  control  of  the  Indians. 

In  1727,  the  governor  of  Canada  authorized  Boucher  to  establish 
a  trading  post  in  southern  Minnesota.  Together  with  Fathers 
Michel  Guignas  and  Nicholas  de  Connor,  Boucher  came,  by  the  Wis- 
consin route  and  ascended  the  jMississippi  and  one  of  the  expedition 
describes  the  river  as  flowing  "between  two  chains  of  high,  bare  and 
very  sterile  mountains."  Boucher  became  involved  in  many  difficul- 
ties with  the  Indians.  There  were  massacres  and  much  fighting  and, 
in  March,  1729,  the  French  abandoned  their  post  and,  as  soon  as  the 
ice  disappeared  in  the  Mississippi,  withdrew  in  their  canoes,  accom- 
panied by  seven  pirogues  of  Kickapoos.  The  Foxes  were  at  this  time 
at  war  with  all  their  neighbors  and  the  Sac  Indians  were  also  in  a 
desperate  condition.  This  caused  them  to  unite  their  forces  and  to 
seek  refuge  across  the  Mississippi,  in  this  district.  Their  main  village 
was  at  the  mouth  of  the  Papsipinicon  river  and  they  hunted  through 
all  this  country. 

We  will  not  attempt  to  follow  all  the  ups  and  downs  of  Indian 
tribal  warfare.  Suffice  it  to  say  that  the  whole  country  was  in  turmoil 
and  the  lives  of  French  traders  and  the  interests  of  France  were  so 
endangered  that  the  Governor  General  sent  Pierre  Paul,  Sieur  Marin, 
into  this  country  to  restrain  the  Indians.  There  is  reason  to  believe 
that  Marin  built  and  maintained  a  fort,  from  1738  to  1740,  below  the 
mouth  of  the  Wisconsin,  at  the  head  of  Magill's  Slough,  on  the  Iowa 
bank  of  the  Mississippi :  early  French  settlers  knew  and  spoke  of  it  as 
Marin's  Fort.  Marin  remained  in  this  region,  and  was  its  virtual 
ruler,  for  a  number  of  years.  Fort  Beauharnois  was  built  in  the 
Sioux  country,  was  abandoned,  rebuilt  and  finally  deserted  in  1756, 
when  all  French  troops  were  needed  to  fight  the  British.  By  1760  all 
this  region  had  been  abandoned  by  the  French. 

In  1759  the  great  stronghold  of  Quebec  was  captured,  France  was 
humiliated,  the  Canadas  were  lost,  and  it  was  feared  that  an  English 
fleet  might  capture  New  Orleans  and  thus  take  away  the  last  vestige 
of  French  control  in  America.  To  prevent  this,  Louis  XV  made  a 
secret  treaty  with  Charles  III  of  Spain  by  which  New  Orleans  and  all 
the  country  west  of  the  Mississippi  were  ceded  to  the  latter  govern- 
ment. This  treaty  was  made  in  1762,  but  not  acknowledged  until  the 
treaty  of  Paris,  January  i,  1763. 

FIRST   AMERICANS 

It  was  in  the  last  years  of  the  French  occupation,  that  the 
American  colonists  made  their  first  appearance  in  the  Mississippi  Val- 


22  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

ley.  As  early  as  1760,  before  the  appearance  of  British  troops, 
English  colonial  traders  established  themselves  on  the  Rock  river  and, 
four  years  later,  thrifty  Dutchmen,  from  Albany,  were  prospecting  for 
trade  in  the  Wisconsin  country.  Jonathan  Carver,  a  Yankee  shoe- 
maker from  Connecticut,  was  one  of  the  first  Americans  to  operate  in 
this  region.  He  reached  Prairie  du  Chien  in  1766,  and  tells  of  that 
place  as  a  "great  mart,  where  all  the  adjacent  tribes,  and  even  those 
who  inhabit  the  remote  branches  of  the  Mississippi,  annually  assemble, 
about  the  latter  end  of  May,  bringing  with  them  their  furs  to  dispose 
of  to  the  traders." 

This  brief  description  gives  us  a  vivid  picture  of  Prairie  du 
Chien  as  the  great  trading  center  and  one  may  well  imagine  the  river 
dotted  with  Indian  canoes  and  the  smoke  rising  from  scores  of  Indian 
wigwams  on  both  sides  of  the  Mississippi.  Carver,  indeed,  saw  the 
advantage  of  trade  on  the  Iowa  side  and  he  made  his  residence  upon 
the  banks  of  the  little  stream  which  the  French  called  "Le  Jaun 
Riviere"  and  which  Carver  translated  as  "Yallow  river."  He  spent 
two  years  in  this  vicinity  and  afterward  published  an  account  of  his 
travels. 

Another  American  trader,  a  Yankee,  and  likewise  an  historian, 
was  Peter  Pond.  He  followed  the  Fox-Wisconsin  waterway  and 
reached  the  Iowa  shore  in  1773. 

Pond  gives  a  picture  of  Prairie  du  Chien  as  a  place  where  "the 
French  practiced  his  billiards  and  the  Indian  his  ball.  Here  the  boats 
from  New  Orleans  come.  They  are  navigated  by  thirty-six  men  who 
row  as  many  oars.  They  bring  on  a  boat  sixty  hogsheads  of  wine  on 
one,  besides  ham,  cheese,  etc. —  all  to  trade  with  the  French  and 
Indians." 

These  were  the  years  just  preceding  the  American  Revolution. 
The  British  had  acquired  Canada  and  were  pushing  their  garrisons 
out  to  command  the  frontier.  The  Mississippi  was  the  western 
boundary  of  their  domain.  The  Spanish  had  just  come  into  the  pos- 
session of  Louisiana,  which  included  everything  west  of  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  American  colonists,  as  we  have  seen,  were  beginning  to 
send  forth  adventurous  spirits  into  the  western  wilds.  The  French 
still  had  the  largest  control  of  the  commerce  of  the  country,  but  had  no 
government  back  of  them  and  yielded  scant  loyalty  either  to  England 
or  to  Spain.  The  Indians  were  still  in  their  original  state.  They  had 
not  become  so  debauched  by  whiskey  as  they  were  at  a  later  date. 
Their  condition  was,  however,  most  unfortunate ;  they  were  at  war 
among  themselves,  were  easy  victims  of  the  epidemic  diseases  and 
were  considered  legitimate  prey  to  be  robbed  and  cheated,  disciplined 
and  terrorized,  by  Britons,  Yankees,  French  and  Spaniards  alike. 

It  was  not  until  1768  that  the  Spanish  made  any  real  effort  to 
strengthen  their  hold  upon  their  newly  acquired  territory  of  Louisiana. 
Posts  were  established  at  the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi  and  they  made 
eiiforts  to  prevent  the  encroachments  of  the  British ;  who,  in  turn,  were 
doing  all  in  their  power  to  win  the  Indians  away  from  Spain.  Within 
a  few  years  the  colonists  were  at  war  with  England  and  the  Revolution 
reached  even  to  the  shores  of  Iov»'^a.  The  British  attempted  to  enlist 
the  Indians  against  the  "Bostonians"  and,  in  1779,  Gautier,  a  French 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  2$ 

Canadian,  headed  a  command  of  two  hundred  and  eight  Indian  aUies 
in  an  attempt  to  drive  the  Americans  from  IlHnois.  In  this  year,  also, 
Spain  declared  war  against  England.  The  English  now  proposed  a 
campaign  with  a  double  purpose,  one  to  harass  the  Americans  and  the 
other  to  drive  the  Spanish  from  the  Mississippi  and  their  great  trading 
post  at  St.  Louis,  Accordingly  an  expedition  of  seven  hundred  and 
fifty  men ;  soldiers,  traders,  and  Indians,  proceeded  down  the  Wiscon- 
sin to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Here  they  were  joined  by  other  traders  with 
bands  of  friendly  Indians.  That  this  warfare  extended  to  Clayton 
county  is  evidenced  by  the  fact,  that,  in  April,  1780,  an  American  trad- 
er's armed  barge-load  of  goods  and  provisions,  with  twelve  men  was 
seized  and  plundered  off  the  m.outh  of  Turkey  river  on  the  Iowa  side. 
The  Indian  allies  soon  deserted  the  British,  however,  and  the  proposed 
attack  on  St.  Louis  never  developed  into  more  than  a  foray  which 
terrorized  the  upper  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

Freed  from  the  British  yoke,  the  American  colonists  soon  showed 
their  adventurous  disposition  by  efforts  to  control  the  fur  trade  of  the 
west.  They  were  hardy  woodsmen  and  adapted  themselves  to  the  life 
of  the  wilderness.  They  were  able  to  ingratiate  themselves  v/ith  the 
Indians  and  soon  became  a  real  menace  to  Spanish  power  in  America. 
Above  all  things,  the  Americans  demanded  the  free  navigation  of  the 
Mississippi.  So  active  were  the  colonists  that,  in  1794,  Baron  de 
Carondelet  reported  "a  general  revolution  threatens  Spain  in  America 
unless  it  apply  a  powerful  and  speedy  remedy."  To  counteract  British 
and  American  influences,  Spain  sought  to  strengthen  its  power  by 
granting  concessions  both  to  settlers  and  traders.  It  was  in  this  way 
that  Andrew  Todd,  a  hardy  Irishman,  obtained,  as  a  concession,  a  grant 
to  carry  on  the  exclusive  trade  of  all  the  upper  Mississippi,  for  this 
privilege  paying  a  duty  of  six  per  cent.  Todd  died  of  yellow  fever  in 
1796  and  the  English  and  Canadian  traders  were  left  in  possession  of 
the  field. 

THE  GIARD  GRANT 

Carondelet  was  a  governor  of  much  ability  and  foresight,  and  had 
Spain  been  in  position  or  had  the  inclination  to  back  him  in  his  efforts 
to  develop  the  Mississippi  Valley,  the  subsequent  history  of  Louisiana 
might  have  been  very  different. 

It  was  in  pursuance  of  his  plan  of  encouraging  actual  settlers  that 
Don  Carlos  Dehault  Delassus,  Lieutenant  Governor  of  Louisiana, 
made,  in  November,  1800,  a  grant  of  6,8o8i/2  arpents,  or  about  5,860 
acres,  to  Basil  Giard,  a  French  Canadian  friend  of  Julien  Dubuque.  This 
is  the  celebrated  "Giard  grant"  from  which  so  many  titles  run  in  Clayton 
county.  This  grant  was  one  of  the  two  Spanish  land  grants  in  Iowa 
which  were  recognized  by  the  United  States,  this  being  done  in  1816. 
Giard  erected  cabins  on  the  present  site  of  the  city  of  McGregor.  The 
tract  was  six  miles  long,  east  and  west,  and  a  mile  and  a  half  wide. 
Giard  lived  on  this  tract,  from  1796  to  1808,  and  had  a  portion  of  it 
under  cultivation.  He  was  also  a  trader  and  dealt  profitably  with  the 
Sioux  and  Sacs  and  Foxes,  who  then  had  this  territory  as  their  hunt- 
ing grounds.  Giard  died  about  the  time  that  his  claim  was  recognized 
by  the  United  States,  leaving  as  heirs,  two  daughters,  Lizette  and 


24  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

Mary,  and  a  grand  daughter,  Felicite  who  was  the  child  of  Angelie 
Suptiennee  Giard.  The  heirs  sold  their  interest  in  the  entire  tract  to 
James  H.  Lockwood  and  Thomas  P.  Burnett,  of  Prairie  du  Chien  and 
it  is  said  that  the  consideration  was  three  hundred  dollars.  The  grant 
was  patented  by  the  United  States  Government,  July  2,  1844.  The 
title  of  Lockwood  and  Burnett  was  contested  by  James  McGregor,  Jr., 
and  others  and  was  under  litigation  for  many  years,  and  will  be  dealt 
with  later  in  this  history. 

Another  Spanish  land  grant  was  claimed  by  Julien  Dubuque. 
This  was  based  on  a  concession  given  by  De  Lassus  to  Francois 
Cayolle,  dated  August,  1799,  and  was  for  7,056  arpents  of  land  just 
north  of  the  Giard  tract,  and  described  as  follows :  "between  the  mouth 
of  the  river  Jaune  (Yellow)  and  another  river  (Bloody  Run)  which 
empties  into  the  Mississippi  about  one  league  lower  down  said  Mis- 
sissippi, so  as  the  said  tract  make  a  quantity  equal  to  a  league  square, 
but  to  include  both  rivers."  Witnesses  appearing  before  the  United 
States  land  commissioners  testified  that  they  had  seen  a  large  house  and 
a  garden  upon  this  tract  and  that  it  had  been  occupied  for  eight  or  nine 
years.     Dubuque's  claim  was  not  allowed,  however, 

FREEDOM  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI 

The  hand  of  Spain  fell  heavily  upon  the  frontiersmen  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. It  was  an  alien  government  with  which  they  had  no  common 
ties  nor  common  interests,  and  for  which  they  had  no  patriotism.  The 
Spanish  rule  was  characterized  for  the  most  part,  by  cupidity  and  arbi- 
trary acts.  The  channel  of  the  Mississippi  was  the  only  outlet  to  the 
outside  world  and,  so  long  as  Spain  controlled  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
the  frontiersmen  were  at  her  mercy.  Spain  recognized  that  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley  was  essentially  one  and  made  every  effort  to  detach  that 
portion  of  the  valley  to  the  east  of  the  river  from  its  allegiance  to  the 
United  States.  The  British  aided  in  this,  and  there  were  several  at- 
tempts to  promote  conspiracies  against  America.  Coercive  measures 
were  also  used  to  make  the  settlers  feel  that  it  would  be  to  their  benefit 
to  unite  their  interests  with  Spain.  This  was  done  by  levying  duties 
upon  all  goods  shipped  up  and  down  the  Mississippi  and  these  duties 
were  imposed  according  to  the  whim  of  the  individual  Spanish  official, 
who  took  all,  or  part  of  the  goods  as  he  saw  fit.  While  the  pioneers  of 
the  valley  were  hardy  and  self-sustaining,  and  while  forest  and  stream 
provided  the  absolute  necessities  of  life,  all  manufactured  articles  came 
by  way  of  the  Mississippi  and  the  free  navigation  of  that  stream  was 
absolutely  essential  to  their  welfare. 

Despite  this  powerful  weapon,  Spain  was  unable  to  drive  the  pio- 
neers upon  their  loyalty  to  the  United  States.  The  question  of  the 
free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  was  the  subject  of  diplomatic  nego- 
tiations for  a  number  of  years.  In  1786,  John  Jay,  patriot  though  he 
was,  came  very  near  yielding  to  Spain  by  offering  to  recognize  Spanish 
control  of  the  river  for  twenty  years,  providing  Spain  would  concede 
the  right  after  that  time.  This  treaty  was  repudiated  and,  in  1788, 
Congress  declared  "that  the  free  navigation  of  the  Mississippi  river  is 
a  clear  and  essential  right  of  the  United  States  and  that  it  ought  to  be 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1 673- 1 833  2$ 

enforced."  As  a  result  of  this  declaration  war  seemed  imminent  and 
President  Washington  prepared  for  the  conflict.  Spain  finally  recog- 
nized the  danger,  but  still  delayed  action.  In  1795  the  United  States 
forced  a  treaty,  by  which  the  middle  of  the  Mississippi  was  made  the 
western  boundary  of  the  United  States,  from  the  thirty-first  degree  of 
latitude  to  its  source,  and  navigation  was  made  free  to  its  mouth. 

But  now  another  monarch  was  raised  up  in  France ;  mightier  than 
Louis  XIV,  more  aggressive,  more  rapacious,  and  far  more  capable, 
then  his  Bourbon  predecessor.  The  great  Napoleon  rushed  through 
Europe  like  a  mighty  hurricane  of  power,  uprooting  old  dynasties, 
almost  depopulating  vast  regions,  and  changing  the  map  of  the  civilized 
world.  It  was  one  of  the  dreams  of  Napoleon  to  restore  the  French 
empire  in  America  and  he  compelled  Spain  to  cede,  to  France,  all  of 
the  province  of  Louisiana.     This  treaty  was  made  October  i,  1801. 

In  the  same  way,  however,  that  Louis  XIV  was  stricken  down  by 
the  English  hand  of  fate,  so  was  Napoleon  to  feel  the  strength  of  Brit- 
ish arms.  Just  as  the  Bourbon  king  was  forced  to  cede  his  American 
possessions  in  order  to  keep  them  from  falling  into  the  hands  of  the 
British,  so  the  French  emperor  was  forced  to  give  Louisiana  into  the 
hands  of  the  new  American  Nation  to  save  it  from  English  invaders. 

LOUISIANA  PURCHASE 

The  story  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  need  not  be  retold  here  in 
full.  It  was  first  proposed  by  Napoleon ;  the  ofifer,  however,  includ- 
ing only  New  Orleans  and  territory  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Thomas 
Jefferson  was  quick  to  grasp  the  opportunity  and  appointed  Robert 
R.  Livingston  and  James  Monroe  as  plenipotentiaries  to  conduct  the 
negotiations.  With  one  of  those  sudden  flashes  of  genius,  which 
enabled  the  great  Napoleon  to  forsake  one  cherished  object,  in  pursuit 
of  another  still  more  cherished,  he  suddenly  turned  the  course  of  the 
negotiations  and  offered  to  the  astonished  Americans  the  entire  French 
possessions  in  North  America ;  although  for  a  sum  largely  in  excess  of 
that  which  they  had  been  instructed  to  pay.  Fifteen  million  dollars 
was  the  price — a  huge  sum  in  those  days,  although  Clayton  county,  not 
the  thousandth  part  of  those  possessions,  could  not  be  purchased  for 
many  times  that  price,  to-day. 

To  the  credit  of  the  Americans  let  it  be  said  that  they  realized  the 
magnificent  opportunities  opened  by  this  offer  almost  at  once.  They 
did  not  hesitate ;  no  quibbles  as  to  authority  or  constitutionality  were 
allowed  to  interfere,  but,  with  characteristic  American  energy,  the  great 
transaction  was  concluded,  rushed  through  Congress,  and  the  purchase 
made,  before  the  French  Emperor  had  time  to  change  his  mind. 

While  Napoleon  parted  with  this  vast  region  for  a  song,  it  was  an 
act  of  wisdom  on  his  part.  The  money  filled  his  depleted  treasury  at 
a  time  of  urgent  need,  and  an  overpowering  English  fleet  had  already 
been  detailed  for  the  capture  of  New  Orleans,  and  the  consequent 
wresting  of  Louisiana  from  the  French,  when  the  cession  was  made 
known.  It  was  thus,  on  April  30,  1803,  that  this  region  became  an 
integral  part  of  the  United  States. 

The  territory  secured  by  the  Louisiana  Purchase  contained  1,171,- 


26  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

931  square  miles,  exceeding,  in  size,  by  344,087  square  miles  all  the 
former  territory  of  the  United  States.  Discovered  by  Spanish  adven- 
turers in  1542,  held,  alternately,  by  Spanish  and  French  for  more  than 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years,  this  region  was  still  largely  unexplored 
and  unexploited,  the  white  population  did  not  exceed  fifty  thousand, 
while  the  exports  amounted  to  but  two  million,  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
eight  thousand  dollars  and  the  imports  to  two  millions  and  a  half. 

UNDER  THE   STARS  AND  STRIPES 

The  treaty  by  which  Spain  had  ceded  Louisiana  to  France,  was  a 
secret  one  and  the  fact  of  French  ownership  was  utterly  unknown  to 
the  people  of  New  Orleans  and  the  Mississippi  Valley.  It  was  neces- 
sary, therefore,  that  a  double  transfer  be  made.  To  complete  the  terms 
of  the  sale,  Spain  must  transfer  the  government  to  France  and  France 
turn  it  over  to  America.  M.  Maussat  was  the  French  commissioner 
appointed  to  carry  out  this  double  change  of  government.  He  pre- 
sented his  credentials  to  the  Spanish  authorities  at  New  Orleans.  The 
keys  of  the  city  were  handed  him,  the  Spanish  flag  was  lowered  and, 
for  twenty  days,  the  French  flag  again  flew  over  Louisiana.  Then 
came  the  American  commissioner,  Governor  Claiborne  of  Mississippi 
territory  and  General  James  Wilkinson  of  the  United  States  army,  and 
they  received  the  new  territory  in  behalf  of  the  United  States.  The 
transfer  was  made  with  much  pomp  and  military  display,  but,  while 
the  transfer  was  very  pleasing  to  the  Americans  scattered  along  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  it  was  utterly  distasteful  to  the  French  inhabitants 
of  New  Orleans  and  it  was  many  years  before  their  hearts  became 
loyal  to  America. 

The  first  act  of  Governor  Claiborne  was  to  declare  the  power  of 
Spain,  and  of  France,  at  an  end  and  that  of  the  United  States  of 
America  established.  Similar  ceremonies  took  place  at  St.  Louis  the 
next  .spring,  when  Don  Carlos  de  Hault  de  Lassus,  the  Spanish 
Lieutenant-Governor,  transferred  the  government  of  Upper  Louisiana 
to  Captain  Amos  Stoddard,  representing  both  France  and  the  United 
States. 

Captain  Stoddard  was  the  first  civil  commandant  of  Upper  Louisi- 
ana and  the  first  American  to  have  direct  authority  over  the  territory 
which  included  Clayton  county.  He  issued  a  circular  in  which  he 
assured  the  people  of  "the  justice  and  integrity  of  President  Jefiferson; 
that  the  acquisition  of  Louisiana  would  perpetuate  his  fame  to  poster- 
ity ;  that  he  had  the  most  beneficent  views  for  their  happiness ;  that 
they  were  divested  of  the  character  of  subjects,  and  clothed  with  that 
of  citizens ;  that  they  would  have  popular  sufifrage,  trial  by  jury,  a  con- 
firmation of  their  land  titles,  a  territorial  government,  to  be  succeeded 
by  their  admission  as  a  state  into  the  Federal  Union ;  and  he  indulged 
in  the  hope  that  Upper  Louisiana  would  become  a  star  of  no  inconsid- 
erable magnitude  in  the  American  constellation." 

However  auspicious  the  opening  of  American  rule,  and  however 
glorious  its  present,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  first  twenty-five  years 
were  years  of  failure  and  disappointment  so  far  as  Iowa  was  con- 
cerned.    It  was  the  dark  age  of  Iowa  history ;  even  the  slight  hold 


EARLIEST   HISTORY — 1673-1833  2/ 

maintained  by  France  and  by  Spain  was  relaxed  and  the  country, 
reverted  almost  to  its  aboriginal  state.  This  was  due  to  several  causes. 
First  there  was  an  immense  area  east  of  the  Mississippi  to  be  devel- 
oped; Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  Michigan  and  Wisconsin  were  in  their 
infancy,  and  there  were  millions  of  acres  open  to  settlement  before 
the  Mississippi  was  reached.  Second,  the  dark  shadow  of  slavery 
already  fell  malignantly  over  the  land  and  Louisiana  was  only  anxious 
for  the  development  of  what  might,  probably,  become  slave  territory. 
Third,  and  strangest  of  all,  Iowa  was  regarded  as  a  barren,  inhospitable 
land  not  capable,  owing  to  the  infertility  of  the  soil,  of  supporting 
a  stable  population.  As  a  reason  why  the  boundaries  of  the  proposed 
state  of  Missouri  should  include  a  large  portion  of  what  is  now  Iowa, 
it  was  stated  that  this  was  necessary  simply  for  the  maintenance  of  out- 
posts to  ward  off  Indian  attacks  and  that  this  state  of  Iowa  was  com- 
posed of  barren  tracts  and  that  "ages  must  pass  before  it  would  be 
inhabited."  This  belief,  that  Iowa  was  an  uninhabitable  wilderness, 
led  to  its  being  set  apart  as  an  Indian  reservation,  much  as  Indian 
territory  was  in  later  years.  Indeed,  had  it  not  been  for  the  warlike 
Black  Hawk,  it  is  probable  that  Iowa  would  have  remained  still  longer 
a  "terra  incognito." 

In  the  history  of  this  period  there  are  three  things  to  be  con- 
sidered: First,  the  act  of  the  government  of  the  United  States  to 
control  and  develop  its  new  territories,  together  with  the  various 
changes  of  administration  which  Iowa  underwent  on  its  road  to  state- 
hood; second,  the  fur  trade  through  which  the  Americans  came  in 
contact  with  the  Indians  and  gained  their  first  real  knowledge  of  this 
region ;  and,  third,  the  condition  and  history  of  the  Indians  themselves. 
The  purchase  of  Louisiana  presented  at  once,  a  new  phase  of  the  great 
slavery  question  which  was  to  divide  our  country  until  finally  settled 
by  the  Civil  War.  Under  French  and  Spanish  dominion,  Louisiana 
was  slave  territory  and  New  Orleans  was  a  great  slave  market.  At 
the  same  time  slavery  had  generally  come  under  the  ban  and  was  pro- 
hibited in  the  Northwest  Territory,  by  the  Ordinance  of  1787.  The 
treaty  with  France  provided  that  property  rights  were  to  be  respected, 
and  it  was  held  that  this  included  property  rights  in  slaves,  making 
the  new  purchase  slave  territory.  Others  demanded  the  prohibition 
of  slavery  in  the  new  domain.  Congress  then  began  the  long  series 
of  compromises  which  characterized  its  treatment  of  the  slavery  ques- 
tion up  until  the  time  of  the  Emancipation  Proclamation. 

Louisiana  was  divided  into  two  parts,  the  thirty-third  degree, 
north  latitude,  being  the  boundary.  The  south  part  was  called  the 
Territory  of  Orleans  with  a  government  similar  to  that  of  Mississippi 
which  permitted  slavery.  The  north  part  was  called  the  District  of 
Louisiana  and  it  was  added  to  the  territory  of  Indiana  and  the  laws 
of  Indiana  governed  it.  William  Henry  Harrison  as  governor  of 
Indiana  Territory  was,  on  October  i,  1804,  escorted  into  St.  Louis, 
and  proclaimed  governor  of  the  District  of  Louisiana.  This  act 
placed  the  northern  half  in  free  territory,  but  this  did  not  long  con- 
tinue. Many  residents  of  St.  Louis  came  from  New  Orleans  and  were 
slave  owners  and  they  objected  seriously  to  any  interference  with 
slavery.    Yielding  to  this  demand  Governor  Harrison,  and  the  judges 


28  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

associated  with  him,  passed  "a  law  respecting  slaves"  in  the  District 
of  Louisiana  and  this  act  extended  the  institution  of  slavery  from  the 
Gulf  of  Mexico  to  the  British  boundaries.  At  the  same  time  and,  by 
the  same  authority,  all  of  the  Louisiana  Purchase  north  of  the  Missouri 
River  was  constituted  the  District  of  St.  Charles,  and  the  Giard  grant 
appeared  in  state  papers  as  located  in  St.  Charles  county. 

The  District  of  Louisiana  as  an  annex  to  Indiana  Territory  lasted 
but  nine  months  and,  on  July  4,  1805,  it  became  Louisiana  Territory 
and  General  James  Wilkinson  was  the  first  governor.  It  was  under 
Governor  Wilkinson's  direction  that  Lieutenant  Zebulon  M.  Pike 
headed  an  exploring  expedition  to  the  sources  of  the  Mississippi.  Pike 
and  his  party  left  St,  Louis,  August  9,  1805,  and,  on  the  first  of 
September,  they  reached  the  mines  of  the  Monsieur  Dubuque,  who 
"saluted  them  with  a  fieldpiece  and  received  them  with  every  mark 
of  attention."  The  mines  were  in  a  prosperous  condition,  yielding 
from  twenty  to  forty  thousand  pounds  of  lead  a  year.  On  the  fourth 
of  September,  Pike  reached  Prairie  du  Chien  and  on  September  5th 
he  crossed  to  the  present  site  of  McGregor  and  selected  a  height  as  "a 
commanding  spot,  level  on  top,  a  spring  in  the  rear,  most  suitable 
for  a  military  post."  This  is  the  beautiful  bluff  now  known  as  "Pike's 
Peak"  and  is  included  in  the  area  which,  it  is  so  properly  urged,  should 
be  set  apart  as  a  National  Park.  Pike  found  one  of  the  three  chief 
villages  of  the  Fox  Indians  located  in  Clayton  County  near  the  mouth 
of  Turkey  river.  He  estimated  the  total  number  of  Fox  Indians  at 
1,750,  four  hundred  being  warriors,  five  hundred  women  and  eight 
hundred  and  fifty  children.  The  Sacs  were  more  numerous,  having 
a  total  population  of  about  2,850.  A  map  drawn  from  the  notes  of 
Lieutenant  Pike  shows  the  general  contour  of  the  Mississippi.  Back  of 
the  river  a  trail  is  indicated,  following  the  river  closely,  from  Fort 
Madison  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  A  small  dot  indicates  a  lead  mine  and 
on  the  Illinois  side  of  the  river  is  the  designation  "M.  Dubuque's  route," 
just  north  is  shown  a  space  marked  "Prairie."  The  Turkey  river  is 
next  indicated  and  at  its  mouth  is  marked  "Fox  Village."  Prairie  du 
Chien  and  the  Ouisconsin  river  are  shown  and,  opposite  them,  are 
marks  indicating  a  settlement  together  with  "Cayard  river,"  "Yellow 
river"  and  "Painted  Rock."  In  the  account  of  his  expedition  Pike 
mentions  the  settlements  of  Giard,  Dubuque  and  Tesson  as  the  only 
white  settlements  in  Iowa,  along  the  Mississippi  river. 

In  1812,  Orleans  Territory  was  organized  and  admitted  as  the 
state  of  Louisiana.  This  necessitated  a  new  name  for  the  Territory  of 
Louisiana  and  it  was  called  the  Territory  of  Missouri,  its  boundaries 
remaining  as  before.  William  Clark  was  governor  of  Missouri  Ter- 
ritory and  Edward  Hempstead  the  delegate  to  Congress.  The  west 
developed  very  rapidly  during  this  period  but  the  increase  in  popula- 
tion was  not  felt  in  Iowa,  which  was  still  regarded  as  fit  only  to  be 
the  home  of  roving  Indian  bands.  Illinois  was  admitted  into  the  Union 
in  1818  and  this  hastened  the  desire  for  statehood  on  the  part  of  the 
people  of  Missouri.  The  memorial  sent  to  Congress  from  Missouri 
stated  that  the  "population  was  little  short  of  one  hundred  thousand 
souls,  was  increasing  daily  with  a  rapidity  almost  unequaled  and  that 
the  territorial  limits  were  too  extensive  to  admit  of  convenient  gov- 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  29 

«rnment."  The  north  boundary  asked  for  the  new  state  was  a  line 
drawn  due  west  from  the  mouth  of  the  Rock  river.  As  the  justifica- 
tion for  this  large  state  the  memorial  adds :  "To  a  superficial  observer 
these  limits  may  seem  extravagant,  but  attention  to  the  topography  of 
the  country  will  show  they  are  necessary.  The  districts  of  country  that 
are  fertile  and  susceptible  of  cultivation  are  small,  and  separated  from 
each  other  at  great  distances  by  immense  plains  and  barren  tracts, 
which  must  for  ages  remain  waste  and  uninhabited.  These  frontier 
settlements  can  only  become  important  and  respectable  by  being  united, 
and  one  great  object  is  the  formation  of  an  effectual  barrier  against 
Indian  incursions,  by  pushing  a  strong  settlement  on  the  Little  Platte 
to  the  west,  and  on  the  Des  Moines  to  the  north." 

The  question  of  the  admission  of  Missouri  agitated  the  whole 
country  for  many  months,  the  entire  question  hinging  on  whether 
it  should  be  admitted  as  free  or  slave  territory.  The  legislatures  of 
northern  states  passed  resolutions  demanding  the  prohibition  of 
slavery,  and  the  southern  states  were  equally  insistent  that  slavery 
should  be  recognized  and  permitted.  Many  slave  owners  in  Missouri 
held  public  meetings  and  denied  the  right  of  Congress  to  interfere. 
During  this  long  debate  the  southern  portion  of  Missouri  was  formed 
into  the  territory  of  Arkansas,  in  which  slavery  was  recognized.  This 
was  done  in  1819.  We  will  not  follow  the  long  course  of  the  Missouri 
Compromise  by  which  the  admission  of  Maine  as  a  free  state  was  made 
contingent  upon  the  admission  of  Missouri  as  a  slave  state.  It  was  this 
compromise  which  greatly  strengthened  the  hold  of  slavery  upon  the 
nation  and  which  was  the  next  step  toward  the  great  Civil  War.  The 
boundaries  of  Missouri  were  reduced  nearly  to  their  present  line,  as 
Senator  William  A.  Trimble  of  Ohio,  urged  that  the  valley  of  the  Des 
Moines  be  left  to  whatever  future  state  there  might  be  formed  from  the 
territory  north  of  Missouri. 

BIRTH    OF    IOWA 

Missouri  was  admitted  into  the  Union  in  1821  and,  with  a  singular 
lack  of  statesmanship,  all  of  the  territory  from  the  Missouri  line  to  the 
British  boundary  and  west  to  the  Rocky  Mountains  was  left  practically 
without  a  government  of  any  kind.  It  is  true  that  there  was  a  pro- 
vision for  the  prohibition  of  slavery  and  certain  laws  regulating  traffic 
with  the  Indians,  but  Iowa  was  left  an  outcast  orphan,  nameless,  dis- 
organized and  abandoned  to  the  aborigines.  President  Monroe  in  1824 
and  President  Jackson  in  1829,  urged  that  the  Indian  tribes  east  of 
the  Mississippi  be  transferred  to  this  territory  and  that  it  be  constituted 
as  a  huge  Indian  reserve.  From  182 1  to  1834,  Iowa  existed  as  an  unor- 
ganized territory  without  government  except  of  the  most  general 
nature.  By  June  1833,  the  purchase  of  Indian  lands  in  eastern  Iowa 
was  completed  and  the  great  rush  of  settlement  began.  Hundreds  of 
men  were  waiting  in  western  Wisconsin  and  Illinois,  for  the  signal 
that  settlement  would  be  permitted  across  the  Mississippi,  and  the 
eastern  counties  filled  up  very  rapidly. 

This  sudden  transformation  of  the  wilderness  into  a  busy  settle- 
ment was,  very  naturally,  attended  by  strife  and  contention.     There 


3©  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

was  an  eager  rush  for  choice  locations  for  town  sites  and  water 
rights  and  it  soon  became  apparent  that  some  system  of  law  was  neces- 
sary even  though  the  first  settlers  were  remarkable  in  their  fair  dealing 
with  each  other.  A  petition  was  forwarded  to  Congress  asking  that 
the  laws  of  the  United  States  be  extended  to  this  territory.  A  bill 
was  introduced  establishing  the  territory  of  Wisconsin  which  was  to 
extend  from  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Missouri  river.  In  the  meantime 
the  necessity  for  courts  and  some  code  of  laws  became  more  and  more 
imperative.  At  Dubuque,  Patrick  O'Conner  was  murdered  by  George 
O'Keaf,  and  it  was  found  that  there  was  no  court  having  jurisdiction 
to  try  the  murderer.  A  citizens'  court  was  formed  and  judicial  forms 
were  followed  as  nearly  as  possible.  O'Keaf  was  given  a  fair  trial, 
found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  death.  The  murder  was  committed  May 
19,  1834  and  O'Keaf  was  executed  on  June  20,  showing  a  speed  which 
might  well  be  emulated  by  more  formal  courts.  In  recognition  of  these 
appeals  for  some  form  of  government  the  territory  north  of  the  state 
of  Missouri,  lying  between  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  rivers  was 
attached  to  the  territory  of  Michigan,  although  it  was  understood  that 
this  was  only  a  temporary  makeshift.  This  action  was  hailed  with 
delight,  for  the  sturdy  pioneers  were  stalwart  American  patriots  and 
were  glad  to  feel  themselves  more  closely  united  to  the  stars  and  stripes. 
To  Nicholas  Carrol,  an  Irishman  living  near  Dubuque  is  given  the  credit 
for  raising  the  first  Star  Spangled  Banner  vtpon  Iowa  soil,  and  strangely 
enough,  this  flag  was  made  by  a  black  woman,  who  was  a  slave. 

An  extra  session  of  the  legislative  council  of  Michigan  territory 
was  convened  at  Detroit  September,  1834.  In  his  message  to  this 
assembly  Governor  Stephen  T.  Mason,  said,  concerning  Iowa :  "The 
inhabitants  of  the  western  side  of  the  Mississippi  are  an  intelligent, 
industrious,  and  enterprising  people,  and  their  interests  are  entitled  to 
our  special  attention.  At  this  time  they  are  peculiarly  situated.  With- 
out the  limits  of  any  regularly  organized  government,  they  depend 
alone  upon  their  own  virtue,  intelligence,  and  good  sense,  as  a  guaranty 
of  their  mutual  and  individual  rights  and  interests.  Spread  over  an 
extensive  country,  the  immediate  organization  of  one  or  two  counties, 
with  one  or  more  townships  in  each  county,  is  respectfully  suggested, 
and  urged.  A  circuit  and  county  courts  will  also  be  necessary,  making 
a  special  circuit  for  the  counties  west  of  the  Mississippi,  as  it  would 
be  unreasonable  to  require  the  attendance  of  inhabitants  of  that  section 
at  courts  east  of  the  river.  I  rely  upon  your  diligence  and  wisdom  for 
the  measures  demanded  by  the  annexation  of  the  new  territory  to  the 
limits  of  Michigan." 

In  pursuance  with  this  suggestion  of  the  governor,  the  territory 
west  of  the  Mississippi  was  divided  into  two  counties,  Dubuque  and 
Demoine,  and  each  was  made  a  township,  the  first,  Julien ;  the  second, 
Flint  Hill.  A  Hne  west  from  the  lower  end  of  Rock  Island  was  made 
the  boundary  between  the  two  counties.  County  courts  were  estab- 
lished and  the  laws  then  enforced  in  Iowa  county,  were  extended  to  the 
new  counties  across  the  river.  Iowa  county  laid  upon  the  east  shore  of 
the  Mississippi  and  was  closest  to  the  newly  formed  counties,  and  the 
fact  that  its  laws  were  extended  to  them  caused  them  to  be  known  as 
the  Iowa  District  and  this   fact,  undoubtedly,  played  some  part  in 


EARLIEST   HISTORY — 1 673- 1 833  31 

naming  the  state  at  a  later  date.  The  first  judge  named  for  Dubuque 
County,  of  which  Clayton  County  was  a  part,  was  John  King,  of 
Dubuque,  founder  of  the  Dubuque  Visitor,  the  first  newspaper  pub- 
lished in  Iowa.  In  1835,  George  W.  Jones  was  elected  as  territorial 
delegate  from  Michigan.  He  secured  the  passage  of  a  bill  creating  the 
Territory  of  Wisconsin,  and  this  new  territory  included  Iowa  and 
portions  of  Minnesota  and  the  two  Dakotas.  Henry  Dodge  was 
appointed  governor  and  David  Irwin  an  associate  justice,  to  preside 
over  the  courts  of  Dubuque  and  Demoine  counties. 

A  census  was  taken  in  September  1836,  and  it  was  found  that 
Dubuque  and  Demoine  counties  had  a  population  of  10,531.  They  were 
thus  entitled  to  six  members  of  the  council  and  thirteen  members  of 
the  House  of  Representatives  in  the  Wisconsin  Territorial  Legislature. 
Dubuque  county,  at  an  election  held  in  October,  1836,  sent  to  the  coun- 
cil Thomas  McCraney,  John  Foley  and  Thomas  McKnight ;  to  the 
House,  Loring  Wheeler,  Hardin  Nowlin,  Hosea  T.  Camp,  Peter  H. 
Engle  and  Patrick  Quigley.  This  first  legislative  session  in  which  the 
people  of  Iowa  had  a  part,  convened  October  25,  1836,  at  Belmont 
which  was  the  temporary  capital.  Peter  H.  Engle,  of  Dubuque  was 
elected  Speaker  of  the  House.  This  legislature  chartered  the  Miners 
Bank  at  Dubuque,  this  being  the  first  bank  in  Iowa.  Belmont  proved 
to  have  but  poor  accommodations  for  the  legislators  and  the  capital  of 
Wisconsin  was  removed,  temporarily  to  Burlington,  where  the  second 
session  of  the  legislature  was  held,  in  1837.  This  legislature  memorial- 
ized Congress  to  pass  an  act  organizing  a  separate  territorial  gov- 
ernment in  that  part  of  Wisconsin  lying  west  of  the  Mississippi  river. 

The  question  of  the  rights  of  pre-emption,  by  actual  settlers,  on 
government  lands,  was  a  burning  issue  and  the  memorial  to  Congress 
relative  to  this  matter  stated:  "Twenty-five  thousand  people  have 
settled  on  lands  in  Wisconsin  Territory,  west  of  the  Mississippi  river, 
in  what  is  called  the  Towa  District,'  improved  farms,  erected  build- 
ings, built  towns,  laid  out  cities  and  made  valuable  improvements,  but 
have  not  yet  been  able  to  secure  any  kind  of  title  to  their  homes  and 
farms.  Congress  is  urged  to  enact  the  law  authorizing  all  bona  fide 
settlers  to  pre-empt  for  each  actual  occupant  for  land,  who  has  shown 
his  good  faith  by  making  improvement,  the  right  to  enter  a  half  section 
of  land  before  it  shall  be  offered  at  public  sale."  It  was  at  this  session 
of  the  Wisconsin  Legislature,  held  at  Burlington,  in  1837,  that  the 
county  of  Clayton  was  named  and  organized  and  the  county  seat  fixed 
at  Prairie  La  Porte,  afterward  named  Guttenberg.  The  county,  as  then 
organized,  had  the  same  eastern  and  southern  borders  as  at  present  but 
its  northwest  boundary  was  fixed  by  the  so-called  "Neutral  Ground" 
and  included  a  portion  of  what  is  now  Allamakee  county  and  did  not 
include  the  northwest  corner  of  the  present  county  of  Clayton. 

It  has  often  been,  mistakenly,  stated  that  Clayton  County  extended 
over  all  of  northern  Iowa  and  included  large  portions  of  Minnesota  and 
the  Dakotas.  This  was  not  the  case.  Fayette  County  was  estabHshed  at 
the  same  session  of  the  Legislature,  and,  as  the  border  county,  it  was  the 
one  which  included  this  vast  territory.  However,  Fayette  County  was 
unorganized  for  some  time  and  was  "attached"  to  Clayton  County  for 
governmental  purposes,  so  that,  while  Clayton  County  at  no  time  in- 


32  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

eluded  this  large  territory  within  its  borders,  it  did  exercise  jurisdiction 
over  the  entire  territory  included  within  its  own  boundaries  and  the 
vast  area  included  in  the  first  boundaries  of  Fayette  County.  In  June, 
1838,  the  bill  dividing  Wisconsin  Territory  and  creating  a  separate 
government  for  that  portion  of  it  west  of  the  Mississippi,  passed  Con- 
gress and,  on  July  3,  1838,  Iowa  emerged  triumphant  from  the  chaos 
of  the  past  and  had  a  name  and  an  identity  of  its  own. 

INDIAN   HISTORY 

Having  related  the  political  history  of  this  region  under  the  French 
and  Spanish  and  under  the  various  jurisdictions  of  the  United  States, 
after  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  it  is  now  fitting  that  we  should  con- 
sider the  actual  conditions  existing  during  this  period.  It  is  an  un- 
deniable fact  that  government  has  much  more  to  do  with  the  general 
welfare  of  the  people  than  is  generally  conceded,  and  the  influence  of 
governmental  changes  can  be  readily  traced  in  the  history  of  north- 
eastern Iowa.  To  understand  Iowa  during  this  period  one  must  know 
something  of  the  numerous  Indian  tribes  which  inhabited  it,  but,  as 
these  tribes  had  no  written  history,  as  they  lived  chiefly  by  hunting 
and  trapping  over  large  areas,  and  as  the  most  pretentious  of  their 
villages  were  but  temporary  affairs,  this  history  is  difficult  to  write. 
From  the  time  when  the  Europeans,  of  whatever  nationality  or  colony, 
arrived  upon  the  shores  of  America,  there  was  a  constant  pushing 
back  of  the  Indians,  in  the  face  of  the  oncoming  tribes  of  pale  faces. 
The  Sacs  and  Foxes,  who  inhabited  this  region  just  prior  to  its  settle- 
ment by  the  whites,  were  not  indigenous  to  this  soil.  In  common 
with  other  Indians  they  were  driven  back  by  the  colonists  and  weakened 
by  wars  with  hostile  tribes.  They  were,  although  linked  together  in 
later  times,  originally  separate  and  distinct  nations.  Their  homes  were 
in  the  east  along  the  Atlantic  coast.  Both  were  unsuccessful  in  war 
and  were  driven  westward.  They  emigrated  from  New  York  to  the 
lake  regions,  and  finally,  settled,  if  that  word  can  be  applied  to  people 
who  never  settled,  in  southern  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  They  doubtless 
crossed  the  Mississippi,  but  this  was  not  their  favorite  hunting  ground. 
It  was  before  their  coming  to  Illinois,  that  the  two  tribes  practically 
united,  for  purposes  of  defense  and  offense,  and  while,  at  all  times^ 
they  maintained  a  large  degree  of  individuality,  they  were  closely  allied 
in  many  ways. 

The  true  conception  of  the  Indian  is  found  midway  between  the 
heroic  figure  pictured  in  the  novels  of  Fenimore  Cooper  and  the 
whiskey  debauched  brute  which  he  was  made  by  the  unscrupulous 
traders.  Many  of  the  ideas,  and  many  of  the  customs  of  the  Indians, 
in  their  native  state,  before  they  were  polluted  by  contact  with  the 
whites,  were  beautiful.  From  the  folk-lore  of  the  Fox  Indians  there 
are  preserved  to  us  many  things  worthy  of  a  high-minded  and  intel- 
lectual race.  Some  of  these  legends  are  both  prophetic  and  pathetic, 
as,  for  instance,  their  account  of  the  creation  of  the  Fox  race,  which  is 
as  follows :  "The  Fox  was  the  first  of  men  on  earth.  He  came  before 
all  other.  He  was  red  at  the  face,  at  the  hands,  at  the  legs,  all  over 
his  body,  everywhere.    He  was  red,  like  the  color  of  the  blood  within 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  33 

him.  Such  was  the  way  he  was  made  by  Wisaka,  and  such  was  the 
way  he  looked  when  his  maker  let  him  step  forth  on  earth  among  the 
Manitous.  Among  the  Manitous  he  mingled.  He  was  present  at  their 
councils,  and  had  the  right  of  speech.  The  Manitous  looked  upon 
him  with  wonder,  and  made  comment  when  he  passed  in  and  out 
among  them.  He  was  very  much  of  a  Manitou.  Afterwards,  came 
other  Foxes,  Manitous  like  the  first.  By  and  by  they  grew  great  in 
number.  As  time  went  on,  they  took  the  form,  the  looks,  and  the 
nature  of  the  people  that  they  now  are.  Things  have  changed 
since  those  times.  The  people  are  now  in  distress.  They  no  longer 
reap  the  good  of  the  land  which  is  theirs ;  little  by  little,  it  is  slipping 
from  their  hands.  Bird  and  animal-kind  is  vanishing,  and  the  world  is 
not  as  it  was  in  the  beginning.  With  all  this  the  Manitou  is  displeased. 
On  some  day  in  the  future  the  Manitou  will  take  upon  himself  to 
destroy  this  earth.  He  will  then  create  it  anew,  and  place  his  chosen 
to  dwell  there  once  more.  In  that  day  the  Fox  will  look  as  he  did 
in  the  beginning;  he  will  be  red  all  over  the  body,  red  as  the  blood 
within  him." 

Concerning  death  could  any  nation  have  a  more  beautiful  belief 
than  this?  "It  is  natural  for  one  to  die,  and  hence  there  is  nothing 
unusual  about  it.  It  is  the  same  as  going  on  a  far  journey,  and  I  like 
the  thought  of  making  it  as  a  journey  here  in  life.  I  know  that  yonder, 
behind  the  west,  somewhere  in  the  great  distance,  there  flows  a  river, 
that  over  the  river  is  a  bridge  for  me  to  cross,  and  that  there  on  the 
farther  shore  awaits  one  who  will  give  me  welcome.  I  do  not  know 
what  my  life  in  the  spirit-world  will  be  like.  I  concern  myself  little 
about  the  thought  of  it.  I  simply  rest  confident  that  I  shall  find  it 
natural  and  simple,  the  same  as  here.  Such  are  my  notions  about  death, 
and  I  have  yet  no  good  reason  to  change  them." 

The  Indian  also  had  high  ideals  as  to  hospitality.  It  is  not  of 
record  that  the  white  people  were  at  any  time  greeted  ungraciously 
or  that  the  Indians  were  malignant  until  they  found  that  the  whites 
were  aggressive,  wished  to  occupy  lands  which  they  had  every  reason 
to  regard  as  their  own  and  until  they  were  victims  of  the  white  man's 
greed  and  injustice.  Father  Marquette,  traveling  practically  alone  and 
unarmed,  was  greeted  with  the  utmost  kindness. 

While  the  Indians  were  possessed  of  many  high  ideals,  it  must  be 
confessed  that  their  code  of  warfare  was  on  no  higher  plane  than  that 
of  the  civilized  warfare  of  today.  It  is  true  that  they  did  not  use  poison 
gases,  nor  drop  bombs  upon  innocent  women  and  children,  nor  attempt 
the  wholesale  starvation  of  a  race,  but  with  their  limited  resources  they 
did  the  best  they  could  to  make  war  terrible.  The^  believed,  just  as 
European  countries  seem  to  believe  today,  that  the  ultimate  design  of 
war  was  to  exterminate  the  enemy,  root  and  branch.  With  this  idea 
in  mind,  they  were  not  particular  as  to  whether  they  shot  an  enemy 
in  the  face  or  in  the  back,  whether  they  lured  him  to  death  in  the 
ambush  or  crept  upon  and  killed  him  in  his  sleep.  Women  and  children 
were  as  legitimate  prey  for  the  tomahawk,  as  they  now  are  for  the 
bomb.  Giving  no  quarter,  the  Indian  expected  none ;  he  met  death 
with  stoical  bravery. 

Speaking  roughly  there  were  but  three  great  Indian  nations  which 


34  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY      ' 

left  an  impress  on  the  history  of  northeastern  Iowa.  The  Sioux  were 
the  most  cruel  and  warlike.  Their  range  was  to  the  north  and  west. 
They  were  fonder  of  the  prairie  than  of  the  woods  and  streams.  They 
favored  the  pony,  rather  than  the  canoe. 

The  Sacs  and  Foxes,  one  tribe  of  which  was  called  the  lowas^ 
were  less  savage  and  less  nomadic  than  the  Sioux.  At  the  beginning" 
of  the  nineteenth  century  they  confined  themselves  chiefly  to  southern 
Wisconsin  and  northern  Illinois. 

The  Winnebagoes  belonged  to  the  Dakota  or  Sioux  group.  They 
were  found  in  Iowa  at  an  early  date,  but  migrated  eastward.  They 
were  allies  of  the  British  and  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Tippecanoe  and 
the  massacre  at  Fort  Dearborn.  They  also  fought  with  Black  Hawk, 
their  habitat  being  in  Wisconsin.  They  were  the  last  Indians  to  come 
to  this  region  and  the  last  to  leave  it. 

Northeastern  Iowa,  with  its  many  streams,  its  wooded  hills,  its 
bounteous  supphes  of  rich  fur  bearing  game  and  its  easy  accessibility  to 
market,  over  the  great  Mississippi  highway,  became  a  coveted  hunting 
ground  for  all  the  western  tribes,  and  the  fact  that  it  was  so  rich  in 
all  that  satisfied  the  Indians'  wants,  made  it  a  bloody  battle  ground. 

The  generous  hospitality  accorded  Marquette  was  soon  changed 
to  suspicion  by  the  crafty  tricks  of  French  traders,  the  white  man's 
firewater  brought  degeneracy  and  drunkenness,  the  policy  of  the  gov- 
ernment in  the  distribution  of  inadequate  supplies,  in  payment  for  rich 
tracts  of  land,  led  to  pauperism,  indolence  and  helplessness;  the  injus- 
tice of  many  of  the  treaties  and  the  lack  of  good  faith  shown  by  the 
white  man  in  many  instances,  induced  hatred  and  a  desire  for  revenge. 

FUR  TRADERS 

The  surrender  of  Canada  brought  British  influences  to  the  head 
waters  of  the  Mississippi  and  brought  about  the  sharp  competition 
between  the  English,  French  and  Spanish.  The  only  product  of  this 
region  for  which  the  Europeans  cared  was  the  product  of  the  chase. 
The  Indians  were  expert  hunters  and  trappers  and  the  white  men 
wished  to  exploit  their  craft.  For  this  purpose  the  British,  following 
the  example  of  the  French,  formed  vast  companies,  financed  in  the 
old  country,  managed  at  Montreal  or  Quebec  and  reaching  throughout 
the  northern  half  of  the  continent.  The  Hudson's  Bay  Company 
operated  in  the  far  north  while  the  Northwest  Company  and  the  Mich- 
ilimacinac  Company  controlled  the  region  to  the  south,  the  latter  com- 
pany with  headquarters  at  Mackinac,  confining  its  operation  to  the  Up- 
per Mississippi  valley.  Goods  of  English  manufacture  were  shipped,  via 
Montreal  to  Mackinac  and  thence,  by  the  Fox- Wisconsin  route,  fol- 
lowed by  Marquette,  to  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin ;  thus  Prairie  du 
Chien  became  the  great  distributing  point  from  which  the  traders 
departed,  following  the  Indians  to  their  hunting  grounds,  and  to  which 
the  Indians,  for  a  territory  of  several  hundred  miles,  brought  the  spoils 
of  the  season's  hunt. 

The  close  of  the  Revolutionary  War  and  the  treaty  of  Paris,  in 
1783,  brought  a  new  factor  into  the  Upper  Mississippi  regions. 
Whereas  the  commercial  struggle  had  been  twofold  it  was  now  three- 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  35 

fold,  but  the  British  occupied  the  north  and  continued  to  frequent  this 
region  after  the  close  of  the  war,  because  the  American  Government 
made  no  determined  effort  to  enter  its  northwest  territory.  The  British 
traders  were  canny  enough  to  make  use  of  the  old  French  voyageurs 
and  the  most  of  the  employees  of  the  British  companies  were  French 
Canadians,  who  already  had  established  intimate  relations  with  the 
Indians.  Thus  Jean  Baptiste  Faribault,  as  an  employee  of  the  British 
company,  penetrated  as  far  as  the  Des  Moines  valley  and  maintained 
a  post  there  for  several  years.  This  whole  region  abounded  with 
beaver,  otter,  deer,  bear  and  other  wild  animals.  A  description 
written  by  Faribault  gives  some  idea  of  the  trader's  life.  He  says: 
"The  wages  of  a  good  clerk  at  that  time  was  $200  per  annum ;  in- 
terpreter $150,  and  common  laborers  or  voyageurs  $100,  and  the 
rations  allowed  them  were  of  the  simplest  description.  But  the 
abundance  of  game  more  than  compensated  for  any  deficiency  in  food. 
The  articles  used  in  the  trade  with  the  Indians  were  principally 
blankets,  cloths,  calicos,  tobacco  and  cheap  jewelry,  including  wampum, 
which  latter  served  in  lieu  of  money,  as  a  basis  of  exchange.  During 
the  winter  the  traders  and  their  men  ensconced  themselves  in  their 
warm  log  cabins,  but  in  the  early  spring  it  was  required  of  them  to 
visit  the  various  Indian  tents  to  secure  the  furs  and  pelts  collected 
by  the  savages  in  their  hunts.  Goods  were  not  then  given  on  credit, 
but  everything  was  paid  for  on  delivery." 

Perrin  du  Lac,  a  French  traveler  in  this  region,  in  1801,  urged 
Napoleon  to  contend  for  the  commerce  of  the  upper  Mississippi.  He 
asserted  that  the  British  had  no  claim  to  this  trade  because  their  Indian 
customers  hunted  game  entirely  on  French  soil  and  then  repaired,  with 
furs  and  skins,  to  their  rendezvous  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Goods  shipped 
from  New  Orleans  in  flat  bottomed  boats,  he  declared,  could  reach  these 
places  at  an  increase  of  cost  from  10  to  12  per  cent.  English  mer- 
chandise must  be  transported  from  Montreal  to  Mackinac  at  a  cost  of 
25  per  cent,  with  7  per  cent  additional  for  transportation  to  Prairie  du 
Chien.  The  French  traders,  he  declared,  thus  had  a  decided  advantage, 
and  especially  as  the  English  boats  were  too  small  to  carry  heavy 
loads  as  compared  with  those  of  the  French;  and  it  required  four 
months  for  the  journey  from  Montreal  to  Prairie  du  Chien  and  but 
one  month  from  New  Orleans  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  magnitude 
of  the  fur  trade  at  this  time  may  be  seen  from  the  statement  of  Du  Lac 
that  the  Sioux  annually  sold  two  thousand  five  hundred  bundles  of 
skins  to  the  English  traders,  while  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  and  the  lowas 
furnished  several  hundred  packs  more. 

Thomas  Jefferson  was  the  first  President  who  saw  the  possibilities 
of  the  Northwest  as  a  trade  center.  He  urged  exploration  and  in- 
stituted the  Lewis  and  Clark  expedition.  Lewis  urged  the  establish- 
ment of  a  post  at  Prairie  du  Chien  to  trade  with  the  Sacs  and  Foxes, 
whose  hunting  grounds  were  described  as  along  both  sides  of  the 
Mississippi,  between  the  Wisconsin  and  the  Illinois.  William  Henry 
Harrison,  as  Governor  of  Indiana,  made  the  first  treaty  with  the  Sacs 
and  Foxes  which  affected  this  country.  By  this  treaty  the  Indians 
relinquished  all  title  to  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi.  It  was  this 
treaty,    which    the    Indians    claimed    was    signed    by    drunken    and 


36  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

irresponsible  chiefs,  which  was  the  cause  of  the  Black  Hawk  war. 
This  treaty  also  provided  for  Government  trade  with  the  Indians.  In 
April,  1806,  Nicolas  Boilvin  was  appointed  as  the  first  Indian  agent 
in  the  Iowa  country  with  instructions  to  visit  Prairie  du  Chien,  to  con- 
ciliate the  Indians,  to  suppress  the  liquor  traffic,  and  to  instruct  the 
Indians  in  agriculture  and  especially  in  the  raising  of  potatoes.  Boilvin 
removed  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  to  replace  agent  John  Campbell,  who  was 
killed  in  a  duel  with  Redford  Crawford. 

In  the  great  contest  for  the  Indian  trade  now  developed  between 
the  British  and  the  Americans,  the  British  had  the  advantage  as  they 
had  been  longer  in  the  business,  had  established  relations  with  the 
Indians,  knew  their  wants,  and,  for  some  reason,  supplied  them  with 
better  goods.  It  was,  however,  the  settled  polic}'-  on  the  part  of  the 
United  States  to  drive  out  the  British  traders.  A  government  factory 
was  established  at  Fort  Madison,  and  in  181 1  Boilvin  urged  the  found- 
ing of  a  factory  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Boilvin  called  particular  attention 
to  the  rich  lead  mines,  saying  that,  during  the  season,  the  Indians  had 
produced  four  hundred  thousands  pounds  of  that  metal.  During  all  this 
time  the  British  were  using  every  effort  to  cripple  and  embarrass  the 
young  American  nation,  this,  not  only  at  sea  but  on  land.  They  did 
everything  possible  to  incite  the  Indians  against  the  Americans.  They 
employed  a  Winnebago  chief  to  get  all  the  nations  of  Indians  to  De- 
troit, to  see  their  fathers,  the  British,  who  told  them  "they  pity  them  in 
their  situation  with  the  Americans,  because  the  Americans  had  taken 
their  lands  and  their  game;  that  they  must  join  and  send  them  off 
from  their  land;  they  told  the  savages  that  the  Americans  could  not 
give  them  a  blanket,  nor  any  good  thing  for  their  families."  Many  of  the 
Indians  went  to  Detroit  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  were  aroused  against 
the  Americans.  Following  the  great  victory  of  Harrison  over  the 
Indians  at  Tippecanoe  the  Winnebagoes  raided  the  traders'  camp  in 
the  lead  mine  district,  tearing  the  men  limb  from  limb  and  stripping 
their  bones  of  all  flesh.  A  messenger  was  sent  from  Fort  Madison  to 
Prairie  du  Chien  to  notify  that  post  of  the  Tippecanoe  victory  and  the 
massacre  at  the  Spanish  mines.  In  1812,  the  friendly  portion  of  the 
Sacs  and  Foxes  migrated  to  the  Missouri  river  to  get  out  of  the  war 
zone  between  the  British  and  the  Americans. 

War  was  declared  by  the  United  States  against  Great  Britain  in 
June,  1812;  among  the  grievances  recited  being  the  Indian  disturbances 
in  the  Northwest.  The  Winnebagoes  and  the  Sacs  under  Black  Hawk 
attacked  Fort  Madison  and  rendered  that  fort  well  nigh  untenable. 
Governor  Howard  urged  that  a  campaign  against  the  Indians  as  far 
north  as  the  Wisconsin  river,  and  the  erection  of  a  fort  at  Prairie  du 
Chien  were  necessary. 

During  the  winter  of  1813-14,  the  French  traders  at  Mackinac, 
who  sympathized  with  the  British,  planned  an  attack  upon  the  Amer- 
ican trading  post  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  In  May  1814,  the  Americans 
ascended  the  Mississippi  with  a  gunboat  and  barges,  carrying  one 
hundred  and  fifty  volunteers  and  sixty  regulars.  Just  north  of  Prairie 
du  Chien  they  erected  Fort  Shelby  and  equipped  it  with  six  cannon  to 
co-operate  with  the  fourteen  cannon  on  the  gunboat.  Governor  Clark 
left  the  new  fort  under  the  command  of  Lieutenant  Joseph  Perkins 


EARLIEST   HISTORY — 1673-1833  37 

and,  in  July,  1814,  the  fort  was  attacked  by  a  force  consisting  of 
British  officers,  traders,  employees  and  several  hundred  Indians.  The 
gunboat,  stationed  between  McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien,  was 
attacked,  and  although  the  cannon  responded  valiantly,  the  gunboat 
was  driven  down  stream,  pursued  by  the  French  and  Indians  in  canoes 
as  far  as  Rock  Island.  Perkins  was  obliged  to  surrender,  and  Fort 
Shelby  became  Fort  McKay  and  was  held  by  the  British  and  their 
Indian  allies.  The  British  considered  this  fort  of  great  importance, 
as  did  also  the  Americans.  Two  efforts  were  made  by  the  Americans 
to  recapture  the  fort.  One  expedition  under  Lieutenant  Campbell  was 
repulsed  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  under  Black  Hawk,  while  Major 
Zachary  Taylor  with  a  force  of  three  hundred  and  fifty  men  was  met 
and  defeated  at  Rock  Island  by  a  force  of  British  and  Indians.  The 
great  victory  of  General  Jackson  at  New  Orleans  finally  decided  the 
possession  of  the  Mississippi  in  favor  of  the  United  States,  but  the 
British  traders,  using  Fort  McKay  as  their  base,  continued  to  control 
the  commerce  with  the  Indians,  whom  they  incited  to  take  American 
scalps. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  of  1812  the  British  demanded  free- 
dom of  navigation  on  the  Mississippi,  but  the  treaty  contained  no  such 
provision,  although  this  was  not  known  at  Fort  McKay  until  May 
1815.  This  treaty  practically  ended  British  control  of  this  region, 
although  many  British  traders  remained,  and  for  a  number  of  years, 
the  Indians  received  presents  and  supplies  from  Canada.  In  the 
meantime  serious  competition  had  arisen  against  the  British  traders 
through  the  company  founded  by  John  Jacob  Astor.  In  1800,  Astor 
had  come  into  prominence  in  the  Montreal  fur  market  by  reason  of  a 
great  corner  on  muskrat  skins.  Eight  years  later  he  incorporated  the 
American  Fur  Company,  later  he  secured  control  of  the  Mackinac 
Company  which  he  rechristened  the  Southwest  Company,  with  Prairie 
du  Chien  as  its  principal  frontier  post.  Joseph  Rolette  was  one  of  the 
owners  of  this  company  and  for  a  number  of  years  he  had  charge  of 
the  Astor  interests  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  He  was  the  dictator  of  all  this 
region,  and  was  known  as  "King  Rolette."  During  the  time  when 
the  English  were  in  the  ascendancy  and,  afterwards,  when  French  and 
English  free  traders  were  numerous,  Astor  was  a  great  advocate  of 
the  Government  factory,  but  as  soon  as  the  British  were  driven  out 
and  his  own  company  grew  to  be  the  first  American  trust,  he  was  very 
anxious  for  the  abolishment  of  Government  trade  and  that  the  whole 
Indian  problem  be  left  to  private  enterprise. 

Despite  Astor's  opposition  the  Government  established  a  factory 
at  Prairie  du  Chien  which  was  now  called  Fort  Crawford.  Although 
the  law  provided  that  no  licenses  to  trade  with  the  Indians  were  to  be 
granted  to  foreigners,  the  President  was  given  discretion  and  he  per- 
mitted Indian  agents  to  issue  licenses.  This  power  was  not  always 
used  with  wisdom  and,  as  a  result,  licenses  to  trade  were  issued  to 
men  of  vicious  character,  who  cheated  and  despoiled  the  Indians  and 
plied  them  with  whiskey.  The  factor  at  Fort  Crawford  complained  of 
this  swarm  of  private  traders  who  exploited  the  Indian  on  every  hand. 

In  1818,  all  licenses  were  refused  to  others  than  Americans,  and, 
the  foreign  traders  having  been  driven  out,  Astor  turned  his  attention 


38  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

toward  ending  the  competition  given  him  by  the  Government  factories. 
In  this  year,  1818,  the  situation  was  further  comphcated  by  war  which 
broke  out  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  The  latter  went 
on  the  warpath,  killed  forty  Sioux  and  brought  thirty  women  and 
children  prisoners  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  where,  under  the  very  guns  of 
the  fort,  they  indulged  in  a  wild  celebration  of  their  victory,  parading 
the  river  bank  with  their  bloody  trophies.  The  Sioux  had  much 
difficulty  in  getting  their  relatives  back,  and  this  war  lasted  inter- 
mittently for  nearly  twelve  years.  The  traders,  however,  generally, 
acted  in  the  interests  of  peace,  for  the  wars  interfered  sadly  with 
the  chase.  By  1822  the  machinations  of  the  American  Fur  Company 
effected  the  abolishment  of  the  factory  system,  the  store  at  Fort  Craw- 
ford was  closed,  and  the  Indians  were  left  to  the  mercy  of  private 
traders.  The  fur  company  did  not,  as  a  rule,  act  directly  through 
agents.  It  sold  outfits  of  merchandise  to  traders  to  be  paid  for  in  pelts, 
and  these  traders'  went  out,  keeping  in  touch  with  the  Indian  hunting 
parties,  securing  the  highest  possible  price  for  their  goods  and  paying 
the  lowest  price  for  fur.  They  also  established  an  extensive  credit 
system  with  the  Indians,  outfitting  them  for  the  hunt  and  expecting 
their  pay  in  furs  when  the  hunt  was  over.  They  charged  enough  for 
their  goods  so  that  they  made  sufficient  profit  if  the  Indians  paid  one 
third  of  their  account. 

As  late  as  1822,  Boilvin,  Indian  agent  at  Fort  Crawford,  com- 
plained that  the  English  were  still  interfering  with  the  Indians  and 
that  many  of  them  were  in  the  habit  of  visiting  British  posts  at  Maiden 
and  other  Canadian  points,  where  presents  were  given  them  and  where 
they  received  supplies.  The  illicit  trade  in  whiskey  was  one  of  the 
greatest  evils  of  the  Indian  traffic.  So  bad  had  this  become  that  all 
boats  of  traders  passing  Fort  Crawford  was  searched  for  liquor.  The 
agent  states  "the  melancholy  truth  is  that  no  law  or  regulation,  will  be 
sufficient  to  prevent  the  Indians  residing  immediately  on  our  borders, 
from  obtaining  ardent  spirits  in  any  quantity  they  may  desire."  The 
year  1823  marked  a  great  revolution  in  river  traffic,  for  in  that  year  the 
steamboat  "Virginia"  ascended  the  river,  during  high  water,  as  far  as 
Fort  Snelling. 

INDIAN  WARFARE 

vThe  tribal  wars  between  the  Indians  continued  all  through  these 
years,  and,  in  1825,  a  determined  effort  was  made  to  bring  about  a 
peace  between  the  Sioux  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  Representatives  of 
the  hostile  tribes  gathered  at  Prairie  du  Chien  from  all  parts  of  the 
northern  Iowa  country,  and  a  boundary  line  was  fixed  which  should 
mark  the  hunting  grounds  of  the  various  tribes.  This  boundary  com- 
menced at  the  mouth  of  the  Upper  Iowa  river  and  crossed  the  state 
south  and  west.  The  tribes  participating  in  this  treaty  were  the 
Chippewas,  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Menominees,  Winnebagoes  and  a  portion 
of  the  Ottawas  and  Pottawatomies.  In  reality  the  Indians  paid  but 
little  attention  to  this  imaginary  line  and  the  conflict  between  the  tribes 
continued. 

The  Winnebagoes  made  their  first  appearance  in  Iowa  in  1826. 
They  left  their  hunting  ground  in  Illinois  and  invaded  northeastern 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  39 

Iowa.  Their  foray  was  marked  by  the  massacre  of  Francis  Methode 
and  his  wife  and  children.  The  murdered  family  had  pitched  their 
tent  upon  the  Yellow  river  to  make  sugar,  and  when  they  failed  to 
return  to  Prairie  du  Chien  a  search  party  of  officers  and  soldiers  was 
sent  from  Fort  Crawford  and  their  bodies  were  found.  Twelve  Win- 
nebagoes  were  imprisoned  for  this  offense. 

The  American  Fur  Company  now  had  virtual  control  of  all  the 
trade  of  this  district.  George  Davenport,  who  proved  himself  a  very- 
astute  agent  for  the  Astor  trust,  was  a  power  along  the  Mississippi. 
He  had  control  of  trade  from  the  mouth  of  the  Iowa  river  to  the 
Turkey  river,  while  "King  Rolette"  bought  furs  north  of  the  Turkey 
river,  with  headquarters  at  Prairie  du  Chien. 

(One  of  the  bloodiest  episodes  of  the  Indian  warfare  in  northern 
Iowa  took  place  off  the  shores  of  Clayton  County.  The  account  of 
this  battle  as  given  in  Cue's  History  of  Iowa  is  as  follows:  "In  1828 
the  Sioux  and  the  Winnebagoes,  then  in  alliance,  sent  an  invitation  to 
the  Sac  and  Fox  chiefs  near  Dubuque  to  meet  them  in  council  and 
forever  bury  the  hatchet.  The  Fox  chiefs,  unsuspicious  of  treachery 
started  toward  the  place  of  meeting.  On  the  second  evening,  as  they 
were  in  camp  for  the  night,  on  the  east  shore  of  the  Mississippi  near 
the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  they  were  fired  upon  by  more  than 
a  thousand  Sioux  warriors.  Rushing  from  their  hiding  place  the 
treacherous  Sioux  killed  all  but  two  of  the  Foxes  who  plunged  into 
the  Mississippi  and  swam  to  the  west  shore,  carrying  news  of  the 
massacre  to  their  village.  Stung  to  desperation  by  the  act  of  treachery 
the  Foxes  prepared  to  avenge  the  murder  of  their  chiefs.  A  war 
party  was  organized,  led  by  the  newly  elected  chief,  Ma-que-pra-um. 
They  embarked  in  canoes  and  stealthily  landed  in  the  vicinity  of  their 
enemy,  concealed  by  the  dense  underbrush.  Toward  midnight  they 
swam  the  river  and  crept  silently  upon  the  sleeping  foe.  Nerved  with 
the  spirit  of  vengeance,  they  silently  buried  their  tomahawks  in  the 
heads  of  seventeen  Sioux  chiefs  and  warriors  and  crept  to  their 
canoes  without  the  loss  of  a  man."  ^ 

Another  account  of  this  Indian  battle,  which  was  the  most  im- 
portant ever  fought  in  this  vicinity,  is  as  follows :  "I  visited  Prairie 
du  Chien,  and  was  a  guest  of  Joseph  Rolette,  agent  of  the  American 
Fur  Company.  One  evening  we  were  startled  by  the  reports  of  fire- 
arms on  the  Mississippi,  succeeded  by  sounds  of  Indian  drums  and 
savage  yells.  About  midnight  we  were  aroused  by  footsteps  on  the 
piazza  and  by  knocking  on  the  doors  and  shutters.  Mr.  Rolette  went 
out  to  ascertain  the  cause,  and  was  informed  that  a  bloody  battle  had 
been  fought,  and  the  visitors  were  the  victors,  and  called  on  their 
traders  to  obtain  spirit-water  for  a  celebration.  Their  wants  were 
supplied.  The  warriors  kept  up  a  horrible  pow-wow  through  the 
night  with  savage  yells.  In  the  morning  we  heard  the  particulars  of  the 
fight,  and  during  the  day  witnessed  a  most  revolting  exhibition.  On 
the  day  before  the  battle,  some  twenty  Sioux  joined  by  a  few  Menom- 
onees,  encamped  on  an  island  opposite  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  Sioux 
had  information  that  a  party  from  the  Fox  village  at  Dubuque  were  to 
visit  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  would  encamp  for  the  night  near  the 
mouth    of   the    Wisconsin    river.     That   afternoon    the    Sioux    party 


40  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

descended  the  Mississippi  and  hid  in  thick  bushes  near  where  their 
victims  would  encamp.  Between  sunset  and  dark,  the  unsuspecting 
Foxes — one  old  chief,  one  squaw,  a  boy  of  fourteen  years,  and  fifteen 
warriors — came  up  and  disembarked.  After  they  had  landed  and 
were  carrying  their  effects  on  shore  leaving  their  guns  and  warclubs  in 
the  canoes,  the  party  in  ambush  sprang  to  their  feet  and  fired  upon  the 
Foxes.  All  were  slain,  except  the  boy,  who  escaped  down  the  river. 
Hands,  feet,  ears,  and  scalps  were  cut  off,  and  the  heart  of  the 
chief  cut  from  his  breast,  as  trophies.  The  next  day  the  victors, 
accompanied  by  a  few  squaws,  paraded  the  streets  with  drum  and 
rattle,  displaying  on  poles  the  scalps  and  dismembered  fragments  of 
their  victims.  The  whole  party  was  painted  in  various  colors,  wore 
feathers,  and  carried  their  tomahawks,  warclubs,  and  scalping  knives. 
Stopping  in  front  of  the  principal  houses  in  the  village,  they  danced 
the  war-dance  and  the  scalp-dance  with  their  characteristic  yells.  The 
mangled  limbs  were  still  fresh  and  bleeding;  one  old  squaw  carried 
on  a  pole  the  hand  with  a  strip  of  skin  from  the  arm  of  a  murdered 
man,  she  keeping  up  the  death-song  and  joining  in  the  scalp-dance. 
After  this  exhibition,  which  lasted  two  or  three  hours,  the  warriors 
went  to  a  small  mound,  about  two  hundred  yards  from  Mr  Rolette's 
residence,  made  a  fire,  roasted  the  heart  of  the  old  chief,  and  divided  it 
into  small  pieces  among  the  warriors,  who  devoured  it. 

"This  occurred  in  a  town  of  six  hundred  inhabitants,  under  the 
walls  of  the  United  States  garrison,  within  musket  shot  of  the  fort. 
Neither  civil  nor  military  authority  made  any  effort  to  prevent  it.  In 
the  afternoon  the  Sioux  embarked  in  their  canoes  to  return  to  their 
village.  Not  long  afterward  a  war  party  formed  in  the  Fox  village 
to  avenge  the  murder.  Wailings  and  lamentations  for  the  dead  gave 
way  to  savage  yells.  With  blackened  faces,  chanting  the  death-song, 
the  party  entered  their  canoes.  Arriving  at  the  bluffs  opposite  Prairie 
du  Chien  they  discovered  a  Menomonee  encampment  spread  out  on  the 
ground,  nearly  under  the  guns  of  Fort  Crawford.  The  Foxes  lay  in 
ambush  till  midnight,  when,  girded  with  tomahawk  and  scalping  knife, 
they  swam  the  river  and  stole  upon  the  foe.  In  the  first  lodge  an  old 
chief  sat  by  a  smouldering  fire,  smoking  his  pipe  in  sleepy  silence. 
They  dispatched  him  without  making  a  disturbance,  and  pursued  their 
bloody  work  from  lodge  to  lodge,  until  the  whole  encampment,  with 
the  women  and  children,  met  the  same  fate.  Then  with  a  yell  of  sat- 
isfaction and  revenge  they  took  to  the  canoes  of  their  victims,  bearing 
aloft  the  trophies  of  victory.  Upon  reaching  their  village,  they  held 
their  orgies  and  danced  the  scalp-dance.  But  fearing  a  swift  retalia- 
tion, they  concluded  to  abandon  their  village,  and  seek  a  safer  place 
among  the  bands  of  their  tribe,  and  near  the  Sacs.  They  settled  where 
the  city  of  Davenport  now  stands.  Eye-witnesses  reported  seeing 
them  as  they  came  down  past  Rock  Island,  their  canoes  lashed  side  by 
side,  the  heads  and  scalps  of  their  enemies  set  upon  poles.  They 
landed  with  shouts  of  triumph,  singing  war-songs,  displaying  the 
scalps  and  ghastly  faces  of  the  slain.  The  new  village  was  called 
Morgan,  after  their  chief,  a  half-breed  of  the  Scotch  and  Fox  blood." 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  4I 

NEUTRAL  GROUND 

1  This  continued  warfare  proved  that  the  boundary  Une  was  totally 
ineffective  as  a  barrier  and,  at  the  same  time  it  made  it  more  difficult 
to  bring  the  Indians  together  for  any  friendly  settlement  of  their 
troubles.  This  was  at  last  arranged,  however,  and  the  chiefs  of  all 
the  Indian  tribes  of  this  region  were  assembled  in  one  of  the  greatest 
Indian  gatherings  ever  held  in  the  northwest,  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  in 
July,  1830.  The  great  council  preceding  this  treaty  lasted  for  several 
days  and  was  accompanied  by  feasting,  dancing,  games  and  races. 
The  councils  were  held  with  all  solemnity  and  with  rigid  adherence  to 
Indian  etiquette.  The  council  was  presided  over  by  General  William 
Clark  and  not  only  the  Indians,  but  the  foremost  men  among  the  trad- 
ers were  present.  As  a  result  of  this  gathering  the  Sacs  and  Foxes 
ceded  to  the  United  States  a  strip  twenty  miles  in  width  south  of  the 
imaginary  boundary  line  which  commenced  at  the  mouth  of  the  Upper 
Iowa  and  extended  across  the  state,  and  the  Sioux  ceded  a  twenty- 
mile  strip,  north  of  the  same  line.  This  gave  the  United  States  pos- 
session of  a  strip  forty  miles  wide  which  came  to  be  known  as  "The 
Neutral  Ground." 

The  Neutral  Ground  played  an  important  part  in  the  history  of 
Clayton  county,  it  was  the  northern  boundary  of  the  county  as  first 
formed,  and  it  included  a  portion  of  the  county  as  it  now  is.  While 
the  United  States  came  into  ownership  of  this  land,  it  was  with  the 
understanding  that  it  was  to  be  devoted  entirely  to  the  use  of  the 
Indians,  the  purpose  being,  as  the  name  indicated,  to  have  a  tract, 
owned  by  the  government,  which  should  serve  as  a  barrier  between 
the  hostile  tribes.  )  It  was  predicted  that  game  would  disappear  from 
this  district  within  a  short  time  and  the  United  States  agreed  to  pay 
each  of  the  contracting  tribes  from  $2,000  to  $3,000  annually  for 
ten  years.  It  was  further  agreed  that  agriculture  was  to  be  promoted, 
the  Indians  supplied  with  blacksmiths,  iron,  and  farm  implements,  and 
their  children  were  to  be  educated.  Nathan  Boone,  son  of  the  famous 
Daniel  Boone,  headed  the  party  which  surveyed  this  tract,  beginning 
their  work  in  April,  1832,  and  completing  the  northern  line  in  about 
two  months.  He  had  just  started  on  the  southern  line  and  had  pro- 
ceeded some  two  miles  west  of  the  Mississippi,  when  the  outbreak  of 
the  Black  Hawk  war  caused  him  to  stop  and  the  work  was  not  finished 
until  the  latter  part  of  1833. 

Joseph  M.  Street,  Indian  agent,  accompanied  the  surveying  party 
for  a  time  and  he  writes  the  first  intimate  description  of  Clayton 
county  of  which  we  have  record,  giving  a  picture  of  the  county  as  it 
was  before  the  inroads  of  American  settlers,  Mr.  Street  says:  "I 
passed  through  the  country,  and  joined  the  surveyors  near  the  Red 
Cedars  river.  Went  to  the  extreme  western  boundary  of  the  cession 
at  Red  Cedar,  and  examined  the  country  on  that  river,  the  Wa-pee-sa- 
pee-nee-can,  and  Turkey  river,  and  its  two  principal  branches,  the 
Yellow  and  Gerrard  (Giard)  rivers.  Taking  a  ride  through  the  coun- 
try south  of  Gerrard  river,  between  the  Mississippi  and  Turkey  rivers, 
I  was  out  seventeen  days,  during  which  time  I  saw  a  part  of  the  pur- 
chase from  the  Sioux  and  passed  through  the   (Black  Hawk)  pur- 


42  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

chase  from  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  numerous  directions.  "On  Turkey 
river,  and  the  whole  distance  to  within  a  mile  of  the  Mississippi,  is  a 
fine  agricultural  country,  and  the  prairies  not  very  large.  There  are 
considerable  bodies  of  valuable  timber  on  Turkey,  Yellow  and  Gerrard 
rivers,  and  the  shores  of  the  Mississippi.  I  never  rode  through  a 
country  so  full  of  game.  The  hunter  who  accompanied  me,  though 
living  most  of  his  time  in  the  woods,  expressed  his  astonishment  at  the 
abundance  of  all  kinds  of  game,  except  buffalo ;  and  the  surveyors 
saw  and  killed  many  of  these  about  thirty  or  forty  miles  west  of  Red 
Cedar,  on  the  same  purchase.  Elk  and  deer  are  abundant  in  the 
prairies,  and  bear  in  the  woodland.  The  sign  of  fur  animals,  particu- 
larly rats  and  otters,  is  considerable  on  all  the  streams  and  ponds,  and 
very  abundant  on  the  Wa-pee-sa-pee-nee-can  and  Turkey  rivers.  It 
is  a  beautiful  and  fertile  country,  and,  with  a  little  attention  to  agricul- 
ture, is  capable  of  sustaining  the  whole  Winnebago  nation ;  and  if  the 
proper  measures  are  pursued,  and  inducements  held  out  to  the  Indians, 
in  a  few  years  many  hundreds  will  be  settled  in  that  country,  producing 
thousands  of  bushels  of  grain  and  potatoes,  and  the  cry  of  distress  will 
no  longer  assail  the  ears  of  the  government.  The  country  abounds  with 
fine  mill  streams,  and  situations  for  mills  with  abundance  of  rock  are 
frequent.  If  a  mill  was  built,  and  the  Indians  learnt  to  raise  wheat, 
they  would  in  a  few  years  grow  a  sufficiency  in  this  country  for  the 
sustainance  of  the  whole  nation  and  live  in  great  plenty." 

In  1832,  prior  to  this  trip  by  agent  Street,  a  treaty  had  been  made 
with  the  Winnebagoes,  who  were  dissatisfied  with  their  reservation 
east  of  the  Mississippi  and  where  the  lands  were  coveted  by  the 
settlers.  By  this  treaty  the  Winnebagoes  were  to  occupy  the  Neutral 
Ground  as  far  west  as  the  Red  Cedar.  After  having  made  this  treaty 
the  Winnebagoes  were  dissatisfied  with  its  terms  and  wished  to  remain 
in  their  old  homes.  In  this  course  they  were  encouraged  by  "King 
Rolette"  who  feared  the  loss  of  trade  for  the  fur  company.  There 
was  sharp  dissension  between  Street  and  Rolette  and  the  latter  sought 
to  impugn  Street's  motives.  He  wrote  to  the  governor  of  Michigan 
Territory  urging  that  the  Winnebagoes  be  allowed  to  remain  on  the 
Wisconsin,  and  saying  that  Street  was  interested  on  account  of  the 
fact  that  his  son  owned  a  store  at  Prairie  du  Chien  which  would  be 
benefited.  Street  was  in  reality  an  earnest,  honest  man  and  a  real 
friend  of  the  Indians.  He  proposed  the  building  of  a  school-house 
and  a  model  farm  for  the  benefit  of  the  Indians  and  stated  "that  the 
rapacious  hands  of  the  traders  and  the  heartless  speculators  had 
reduced  the  Winnebagoes  to  slavery."  The  fur  company  agents 
together  with  the  whiskey  vendors  vowed  Street  would  be  defeated  in 
his  program  but,  in  August,  1833,  an  order  was  issued  for  the  building 
"of  a  comfortable  log  school-house,  west  of  the  Mississippi,  out  of 
reach  of  the  fatal  whiskey  traffic."  In  the  autumn  of  1833  Winnebago 
families  numbering  sixty-eight  persons  established  themselves  at  an  old 
Sac  village  near  the  Mouth  of  Turkey  river,  and  others  settled  farther 
north.  In  the  meantime  white  settlers  were  seizing  the  best  sites  for 
farms  and  towns,  and  both  the  Sioux  and  the  Sacs  and  Fox  Indians 
objected  to  any  strangers  occupying  the  Neutral  Ground.  The  Winne- 
bagoes were,  therefore,  frightened  away  and  returned  to  their  old  home 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  43 

across  the  Mississippi.  In  1835  several  hundred  Winnebagoes 
re-occupied  the  territory  but  they  left  again  in  1836.  During  the  next 
few  years  the  Winnebagoes  lingered  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi 
in  a  state  of  idle  drunkenness,  loitering  about  the  villages,  committing 
depredations  upon  the  settlers,  stealing  horses  and  killing  cattle  and 
hogs.  In  1839,  some  progress  had  been  made  in  transferring  the  Indi- 
ans to  Iowa.  Two  Shilling's  band  lived  near  the  new  Winnebago 
school  on  the  Yellow  river;  and  Little  Priest's  and  Whirling  Thunder's 
bands  were  near  the  new  farm  fifteen  miles  west.  It  was  not  until 
1840,  that  the  government  took  energetic  measures  to  force  the  Winne- 
bagoes to  move  to  the  Neutral  Ground.  General  Henry  Atkinson  was 
commissioned  for  this  work  and  a  post  was  established  near  the  mouth 
of  Spring  Creek,  Winneshiek  county,  and  named  Camp  Atkinson. 
Company  F  of  the  Fifth  U.  S.  Infantry  furnished  the  garrison  which 
was  soon  increased  by  Company  B  of  the  First  U.  S.  Dragoons,  making 
the  garrison  of  Fort  Atkinson  number  about  160.  Substantial  buildings  of 
stone  were  erected  and  the  military  road  which  runs  through  the  north 
part  of  this  county  was  constructed  from  Fort  Atkinson  to  the  Missis- 
sippi river  opposite  Fort  Crawford,  at  a  cost  of  $90,000.  The  presence 
of  this  military  force  was  deemed  necessary  not  only  to  transfer  and 
control  the  Winnebagoes,  but  to  protect  them  from  the  whiskey  of  the 
whites  and  the  tomahawks  of  the  Sioux  and  the  Sacs  and  Foxes.  More 
than  forty  Winnebagoes  were  murdered  by  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  in  this 
region  during  this  time.  Rev.  David  Lowry  who,  with  agent  Street, 
was  a  real  friend  of  the  Indians,  was  established  as  head  of  a  govern- 
ment school  in  the  neighborhood  of  Fort  Atkinson.  This  school  was 
established  by  Street  in  1835.  When  four  yoke  of  oxen  and  two 
horses  were  brought  to  the  farm  near  the  Winnebago  school,  south  of 
the  Neutral  Grounds,  near  the  Mississippi  river,  the  machinations  of 
Street's  enemies  caused  his  removal,  and  it  was  not  until  1837  that  any 
progress  was  made  on  the  farm.  David  Lowry  reported  the  crops  for 
1838  as  consisting  of  500  bushels  of  corn,  1,000  bushels  of  potatoes 
and  1,500  bushels  of  turnips.  This  farm,  and  the  school  under  Rev. 
Lowry,  grew  to  considerable  proportions  and  were  of  great  value  to 
the  Indians.  Lowry  was  removed  by  President  Tyler  in  1844,  and 
James  McGregor,  Jr.,  became  the  agent  at  the  station  near  Fort  Atkin- 
son. He  found  the  Indians  very  generally  under  the  influence  of 
whiskey  and  in  a  state  of  great  insubordination:  they  had  largely 
exchanged  their  annuity  provisions  for  liquor  and  had  shot  two  cows 
and  an  ox  not  belonging  to  them.  It  was  not  until  1847  that  the  Win- 
nebagoes were  induced  to  sell  their  Iowa  land,  and  it  was  not  until 
1849,  eleven  years  after  this  county  was  organized,  that  the  Winne- 
bagoes were  removed  to  their  new  home  in  Minnesota  and  Fort  Atkin- 
son was  abandoned.  While  Fort  Atkinson  was  not  in  this  county  and 
while,  in  1837,  the  Indians  had  surrendered  their  rights  over  the 
Neutral  Ground  for  the  twenty  miles  just  west  of  the  Mississippi, 
nevertheless  their  presence  and  their  depredations  affected  all  the  white 
settlers  in  this  county  during  the  first  years  of  its  history  and  greatly 
retarded  the  settlement  of  the  north  tier  of  townships.  The  fine  mili- 
tary road,  however,  was  a  legacy  of  the  Indian  times  which  greatly 
aided  in  the  prosperity  of  McGregor  and  Clayton  at  a  later  date. 


44  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

BLACK    HAWK   PURCHASE 

All  that  part  of  Clayton  county  not  in  the  Neutral  Grounds  was 
a  part  of  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase.  At  the  beginning  of  the  century, 
the  Sacs  and  Foxes  dominated  western  Illinois  and  southern  Wisconsin 
and  eastern  Iowa.  Their  main  village  was  at  Rock  Island,  and  Illinois 
was  their  favorite  hunting  ground.  In  1804  certain  chiefs  of  the 
nation  entered  into  a  treaty  with  the  United  States  at  St.  Louis  by 
which  all  their  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi  were  ceded  to  the  United 
States  for  a  paltry  sum.  The  government  always  contended  that  this 
was  a  bona  fide  treaty  and  insisted  that  the  Indians  live  up  to  its  terms. 
The  Indians  claimed  that  this  treaty  was  signed  by  a  few  unauthorized 
chiefs  who  were  purposely  made  drunken  at  the  time,  that  the  com- 
pensation was  wholly  inadequate,  that  the  United  States  violated  the 
treaty  by  the  establishment  of  forts  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi 
and  by  taking  possession  of  land  in  Illinois  before  the  time  set  by  the 
treaty,  and  that  no  such  cession  could  have  been  made  without  the 
knowledge  and  consent  of  all  of  the  chiefs. 

It  was  dissatisfaction  over  this  treaty,  of  1804,  which  led  Black 
Hawk  and  many  of  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  to  join  with  the  British  during 
the  war  of  1812.  In  1816,  Black  Hawk  signed  a  treaty  but  again 
insisted  that  the  terms  were  misrepresented  and  that  he  did  not  know  he 
was  to  relinquish  his  village  in  Illinois.  Matters  came  to  a  head  in 
1 83 1  when  Black  Hawk  undertook  to  reoccupy  the  old  home  in  Illinois 
from  which  he  had  been  driven.  Regular  soldiers  and  volunteers 
under  General  James  took  the  Indians  by  surprise,  defeated  them  and 
forced  the  treaty  ceding  all  lands  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Black  Hawk 
was  forced  to  cross  to  the  west  side  of  the  river  but,  in  1832,  he  again 
entered  Illinois  at  the  head  of  a  large  number  of  braves.  Black 
Hawk's  army  was  well  disciplined  and  he  showed  great  generalship  and 
succeeded  in  defeating  the  Americans  under  Major  Stillman.  This 
defeat  caused  great  consternation  throughout  the  entire  country  and  a 
strong  military  force  was  sent  against  Black  Hawk.  In  a  fierce 
engagement,  fought  at  Bad-axe,  on  the  Rock  river,  the  Indians  were 
badly  defeated,  losing  300  killed.  Black  Hawk  with  a  party  of  twenty 
braves  retreated  up  the  Wisconsin  river,  but  the  Winnebagoes,  under 
the  direction  of  the  One-eyed  Decorah,  captured  him  and  deHvered  him 
to  his  enemies.  This  ended  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  made  effective 
the  treaty  of  1832. 

In  this  Black  Hawk  war  the  whites  lost  about  200  killed  and  the 
Indians  about  500,  men,  women,  and  children.  Black  Hawk  was 
retained  as  a  hostage  and  was  in  prison  for  several  years,  while 
Keokuk,  who  was  hated  and  despised  by  Black  Hawk's  followers,  was 
rewarded  with  a  large  tract  of  land  known  as  "Keokuk's  Reserve." 

By  the  terms  of  the  treaty  of  1832,  the  Sacs  and  Foxes  ceded  a 
strip  of  land  fifty  miles  wide,  from  the  northern  boundary  of  Missouri 
to  the  mouth  of  the  Upper  Iowa.  The  western  boundary  paralleled 
the  Mississippi  and  the  whole  tract  contained  about  6,000,000  acres. 
The  consideration  was  the  payment  of  $20,000  annually  for  thirty 
years  and  the  payment  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  Indians  to  Davenport 
and  Farnhan,  representatives  of  the  American  Fur  Company.     The 


EARLIEST    HISTORY — 1673-1833  45 

government  also  gave  thirty-five  beef  cattle,  twelve  bushels  of  salt, 
thirty  barrels  of  pork,  fifty  barrels  of  flour  and  six  thousand  bushels  of 
corn  to  the  women  and  children  whose  husbands  and  fathers  had  fallen 
in  the  Black  Hawk  war.  This  treaty  was  concluded  at  Davenport, 
September  21,  183c;  it  was  ratified  February  13,  1833,  and  took  effect 
on  the  first  of  June  following.  It  was  in  this  wise  that  the  United 
States  completed  its  title  to  the  ownership  of  what,  later,  became  east- 
em  Iowa.  This  was  gained,  first,  by  the  Louisiana  Purchase  from  the 
French,  and  second,  by  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase,  from  the  Indians. 

SETTLEMENT  OF  IOWA 

\  After  years  of  strife  and  warfare  the  Indians  had  been  subdued 
and  had  yielded  the  rich  lands  west  of  the  Mississippi  to  their  con- 
querors. It  was  known  that  these  lands  were  to  be  had  for  the  asking. 
Many  adventurous  spirits  had  already  crossed  the  river,  both  as  pros- 
pectors and  as  traders.  They  had  brought  back  with  them  glowing 
accounts,  which  we  know,  now,  were  not  exaggerated,  of  the  rich  and 
fertile  soil,  the  abundance  of  animal  life,  the  splendid  forests  and  the 
beautiful  streams. 

What  wonder  is  it  then,  that  the  eastern  shores  of  the  Mississippi, 
from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  a  point  opposite  Fort  Madison,  were  lined 
with  people  eagerly  awaiting  the  opening  of  the  new  territory.  These 
men,  many  of  them  with  their  families,  resided  in  temporary  quarters 
ready  for  the  rush  to  the  Black  Hawk  strip.  It  was  a  time  such  as 
was  later  witnessed  in  Oklahoma  when  the  lands  of  the  Indian  territory 
were  opened  for  settlement ;  and,  just  as  in  those  days,  there  were 
"Sooners"  who  could  not  wait  for  the  formal  opening  and  who  wished 
to  gain  advantage  by  having  the  first  choice  of  location.  As  soon  as 
the  treaty  was  made,  in  1832,  white  settlers  pushed  their  way  across 
the  river,  although  it  was  known  that  the  treaty  had  not  been  ratified 
and  would  not  go  into  efifect  until  later.  Many  of  these  settlers  made 
improvements,  and  deemed  it  a  great  hardship  and  injustice  when  the 
United  States  troops  compelled  them  to  recross  the  river.  Moreover, 
none  of  these  lands  had  been  surveyed  and  those  who  first  came  were 
unable  to  make  any  definite  location,  and  were  mere  squatters  upon  the 
land.  In  some  counties  this  caused  much  trouble  and  led  to  organiza- 
tions of  squatters,  pledged  not  to  bid  on  each  other's  claims  when  they 
were  sold  as  government  lands.  This  coming  of  the  settlers  before  the 
lands  were  to  be  relinquished  under  the  terms  of  treaty,  was  very  dis- 
tasteful to  the  Indians,  who  regarded  it  as  a  breach  of  faith  and  who 
resented  it  by  many  overt  acts  against  the  settlers.  At  Dubuque  partic- 
ularly, was  it  difficult  to  restrain  the  whites  who  were  eager  to  get 
possession  of  the  veins  of  lead  ore.  As  it  was  known  that  these  min- 
eral deposits  also  existed  along  Turkey  river  it  is  safe  to  presume  that 
this  region,  also,  was  prospected  over  and  possibly  located  upon,  before 
the  time  fixed  for  settlement  by  the  United  States.  This  country  has 
been  the  scene  of  many  such  wild  rushes  for  land,  but  never  was  any 
country  settled  more  quickly  and  by  a  better  and  more  law-abiding 
people,  than  was  eastern  Iowa.  ^ 

It  has  been  the  eflfort  of  the  preceding  pages  to  follow  the  history 


46  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

of  Iowa,  as  a  whole,  and  of  Clayton  county,  in  particular,  from  the  date 
of  its  discovery  by  Marquette  to  the  time  when,  through  the  processes 
of  law  and  of  nature  and  of  warfare,  it  was  ready  to  step  forth  into  the 
glorious  sunlight  of  American  citizenship.  It  has  been  the  effort  to 
picture  the  virgin  forests  and  the  unruffled  prairie  and  to  recall  to  life 
the  wandering  redskin,  the  devout  missionary,  the  crafty  traders  and 
the  valiant  men  at  arms  who  struggled,  at  this  very  outpost  of  civih- 
zation,  to  maintain  the  honor  and  glory  of  the  flag  for  which  they 
fought.  Looking  upon  the  quiet  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  devoted 
now  to  ways  of  commerce  and  of  peace,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  its 
current  was  reddened  by  the  blood  of  Frenchman  and  Spaniard,  Briton 
and  American  and  that  it  was  the  scene  of  massacre  and  Indian 
treacheries :  that  grim  forts  frowned  from  its  shores,  that  gunboats 
plowed  its  waters,  that  its  hills  resounded  with  the  shouts  of  war  par- 
ties and  its  bosom  was  bright  with  gaudily  decked  canoes.  And,  now, 
we  have  come  to  a  time  no  less  picturesque,  and  of  much  greater  value 
to  mankind.  We  are  to  see  the  log  cabin  where  stood  the  wigwam,  we 
are  to  hear  the  shouts  of  the  woodsman  take  the  place  of  the  warhoop, 
the  sound  of  the  axe  and  the  crash  of  falling  trees,  are  to  supplant  the 
sharp  crack  of  the  Indian  rifle,  the  grist  mill  is  to  stand  upon  the  site 
of  the  beaver  dam  and  out  of  the  chaos  and  the  wreckage  of  the  past 
is  to  arise  a  great,  intelligent  and  powerful  civilization,  born  in  hard- 
ship, nursed  by  toil,  cultivated  by  self-denial,  strengthened  by  adver- 
sity, matured  by  experience,  cemented  by  the  blood  of  Civil  War  and 
perfected  by  the  love  of  God  and  country. 


CHAPTER  II 


LOG  CABIN  DAYS— 1833-1840 

PIONEERS — EARLIEST  COUNTY  HISTORY — FIRST  COURTS — FIRST  RECORDS 

FIRST    COUNTY    COMMISSIONERS — CENSUS    OF     1838 FIRST    ELECTION 

BEGINNINGS — FIRST  COUNTY  SEAT — EARLY  COURT  SESSIONS — JUDGE 

WILSON. 

PIONEERS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

THE  first  of  what  may  be  called  the  genuine  American  settlement 
of  Clayton  county  occurred  in  the  years  1832  and  1833.     The 
Black  Hawk  Purchase  was  not  open  for  legal  settlement,  and  no 
claims  could  be  definitely  located  until  after  the  government  survey 
which  was   completed  in  the  fall  of  the  latter  year. 

Before  the  treaty  with  Black  Hawk  was  ratified,  however,  the 
eastern  shore  of  the  Mississippi  was  fairly  lined  with  eager  pioneers, 
excited  by  the  reports  of  the  richness  of  Iowa  soil,  and  each  desiring 
to  obtain  for  himself  the  best  location.  These  would-be  settlers 
awaited  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  at  Cassville,  which  expected  to  become 
the  great  metropolis  of  Wisconsin,  at  Galena,  at  Rock  Island  and  all 
down  the  river  to  the  Missouri  line. 

It  is  impossible  to  believe  that  these  men  tamely  abided  on  the  east 
bank  of  the  river  with  only  the  stream  between  them  and  the  promised 
land,  without  making  many  trips  of  exploration.  We  have  a  record  of 
a  few  of  these  incursions  into  Iowa  soil,  but  as  they  were  under  the  ban 
of  the  United  States  which  wished  to  protect  the  Indians  until  the  time 
agreed  upon  for  them  to  leave  their  land,  these  bold,  but  peaceful,  invad- 
ers took  more  pains  to  suppress  the  record  of  these  trips  than  to  make 
them  public  or  to  preserve  them.  There  were  clashes  between  troops  and 
would-be  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Davenport  and  Dubuque.  At  these 
places  the  whites  were  driven  back  across  the  river  in  1832  and  the 
cabins  which  they  had  erected  were  destroyed.  The  white  man  who 
visited  Clayton  county  in  1832  did  so  at  the  peril  of  his  life,  for  he  was 
subject  to  attack  both  by  the  troops  and  by  the  Indians  who  fiercely 
resented  the  coming  of  the  white  man. 

It  is  for  the  above  reasons  that  it  is  particularly  hard  to  say  who 
was  the  first  settler  in  Clayton  county.  Those  coming  in  1832  gave  the 
matter  no  publicity ;  and,  in  1833,  there  was  a  grand  rush  of  settlers  to 
every  portion  of  the  Black  Hawk  Purchase,  including  Clayton  county. 
We  know  that  James  L.  Langworthy,  later  a  prominent  citizen  of 


48  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Dubuque,  crossed  the  river,  in  1829,  and,  with  two  young  Fox  guides 
explored  all  the  region  between  the  Maquoketa  and  Turkey  rivers,  but 
he  was  attracted  chiefly  by  the  lead  mines  and  for  some  time.  Col. 
Zachary  Taylor,  later  President  of  the  United  States,  who  was  then 
stationed  at  Fort  Crawford,  had  his  hands  full  in  keeping  the  white 
men  from  the  Indian  mines.  Jefiferson  Davis,  later  the  President  of 
the  Confederacy,  was  another  officer,  stationed  at  Fort  Crawford,  who 
patroled  this  region  to  prevent  white  settlement.  It  is  recorded  of 
Davis  that  he  was  mild  in  his  treatment  of  the  settlers  and  was  able, 
in  most  instances,  to  get  them  to  move  back  across  the  river  without 
resorting  to  force.  While  these  clashes  between  the  troops  and  settlers 
occurred  chiefly  at  Dubuque  it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  settle- 
ments were  prevented  in  Clayton  county  as  well. 

In  1882,  a  very  excellent  history  of  Clayton  county  was  published 
under  the  direction  of  a  committee  of  the  Pioneer  Society  of  the 
county.  The  committee  having  this  in  charge  consisted  of  such  men  as 
Samuel  Murdock,  Michael  Uriell,  Reuben  Noble,  Alva  C.  Rogers, 
Benjamin  P.  Rawson,  James  O.  Crosby  and  James  Schroeder.  There 
were  also  a  number  of  men  interested  in  each  township  and  this  work 
may  be  taken  as  authority,  except  where  the  record  brings  new  facts  to 
light.  It  is  a  splendid  commentary  upon  the  value  of  such  history  that 
no  copies  of  this  work,  now  thirty-four  years  old,  are  for  sale  and 
that  they  can  only  be  borrowed  upon  binding  promise  of  return.  There 
are  but  comparatively  few  copies  of  this  book  in  existence  and  it  is, 
frankly,  one  of  the  purposes  of  this  later  day  history  to  preserve,  in 
new  form,  the  best  of  the  old  history  and  to  complete  it  and  bring  it 
down  to  date.  No  apologies  are  offered,  therefore,  for  quoting  this 
older  history  freely  and  for  using  it  as  authority. 

There  is  much  question  as  to  who  was  the  first  actual  settler  of 
Clayton  county.  There  seems  to  be  no  question  but  that  the  first  settle- 
ment was  made  in  the  vicinity  of  Millville  on  the  Turkey  river,  and 
the  date  is  1833.  The  history  of  1882  credits  William  W.  Wayman 
as  the  first  permanent  settler  and  states  that  he  settled  on  what  was 
afterwards  known  as  the  Lander  farm,  on  the  north  side  of  Turkey 
river,  about  four  miles  from  its  mouth,  nearly  opposite  Millville.  It 
is  stated  that  Robert  Hetfield  and  W.  W.  Wayman  located  here  and 
that  Wm.  D.  Grant  located  nearby,  on  what  was  afterward  known  as 
the  Pearson  farm.  It  is  stated,  however,  that  previously  there  had 
been  a  cabin  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  river.  This  cabin  was  used  as  a 
ferry  house  and  the  name  of  the  owner  is  not  known. 

Senator  Robert  Quigley,  of  McGregor,  is  authority  for  the  state- 
ment that  his  father,  Joseph  B.  Quigley,  migrated  from  Amherst,  Ohio, 
and  reached  Cassville  in  1832,  and  that  in  that  year  he  crossed  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  prospected  for  a  location  near  Millville.  In  1833,  he 
located  at  Millville,  having  with  him  R.  H.  Hetfield,  Dan  Beasley  and 
William  Grant.  The  four  men  worked  together  and  Quigley  and 
Grant  being  fine  mechanics  they  soon  had  a  log  cabin  erected  and  a 
sawmill  in  operation  on  the  Turkey  river.  Later  a  grist  mill  was 
built.  Mr.  Quigley  returned  for  a  brief  time  to  Cassville  and  then 
came  to  his  new  cabin  home  bringing  his  young  wife  with  him  and 
together  they  shared  the  many  hardships  of  the  pioneer  days.     Among 


LOG    CABIN    DAYS 1833-184O  49 

those  who  settled  near  him  at  that  time  were  Col.  Landers,  Capt. 
Springer,  Henry  Redmon,  and  Solomon  Wadsworth. 

Eliphalet  Price  first  came  to  the  county  in  1834,  returning  in  1835 
with  C.  S.  Edson,  the  first  surveyor  of  the  county.  In  1836,  the  erec- 
tion of  a  sawmill  on  the  Little  Turkey  is  told,  built  by  a  Mr.  Finley, 
and  Luther  Patch  is  mentioned  as  the  sawyer.  Thomas  Clinton,  and 
Martin,  Moses  and  Jacob  Van  Syckle  came  to  the  county,  in  1833, 
settling  in  Mallory  township.  Cyrus  Henderson  was  also  one  of  the 
early  settlers,  coming  to  Clayton  county,  in  January,  1835,  and  settling 
in  Millville  township.  His  brother  John  wh/O  accompanied  him  to 
this  county,  in  1835,  died  in  1836  and  is  said  to  have  been  the  first 
white  man  buried  in  Clayton  county.  Among  the  men  who  arrived  in 
1836,  and  who  left  a  deep  impress  upon  the  history  of  the  county  were 
the  following :  Dr.  Frederick  Andros,  Dr.  Andros  was  the  first  settler 
in  Garnavillo  township.  He  was  a  native  of  Massachusetts  and  came 
here  from  Dubuque.  He  resided  at  Garnavillo  until  1865  when  he 
removed  to  McGregor.  He  was  a  strong  and  capable  man  and  a  skill- 
ful physician  and  his  name  will  appear  many  times  as  we  proceed  with 
this  history.  Another  man  destined  to  be  prominent  in  the  county  was 
John  W.  Gillett.  Elisha  Boardman,  the  founder  of  Elkader,  came  to 
the  county,  in  1836,  together  with  Horace  D.  Bronson,  and  a  Mr. 
Hastings.  Hastings  began  the  erection  of  a  sawmill  on  Otter  creek 
near  the  present  town  of  Elgin,  but  he  was  soon  driven  away  by  the 
hostile  Winnebagoes  and  left  the  country.  Boardman  staked  a  claim 
and  built  a  cabin  where  the  depot  at  Elkader  now  stands.  Here  he 
lived  with  his  intimate  friend  H.  D.  Bronson  for  a  number  of  years. 
The  township  of  Boardman  is  named  in  his  honor  and  he  and  his 
descendants  were  honored  men  in  this  county  for  many  years. 

Willard  Knight  was  another  of  the  strong  men  who  came  in  1836, 
as  was  a  Mr.  McMaster  who  came  to  the  county  with  Gillett  and  was 
in  partnership  with  him  for  several  years.  Samuel  B.  Peck  was  a 
pioneer  of  1836,  settling  in  Mallory  township  on  the  Turkey  river,  at 
what  was  later  known  as  Peck's  Ferry,  as  he  ran  the  first  flat-boat 
across  the  Turkey  river  at  that  point.  Levi  Springer  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Millville  township,  coming  in  1836.  He  was  prominent  in 
the  early  history  and  was  one  of  those  who  enlisted  in  Captain  Parker's 
company  of  mounted  infantry  which  was  stationed  at  Fort  Atkinson, 
during  the  Mexican  war,  to  take  the  place  of  the  regulars  who  were 
sent  to  the  front,  and  to  guard  against  Indian  depredations.  Jacob 
Springer  also  came  to  Millville  township,  in  1837,  and  was  also  a  mem- 
ber of  Captain  Parker's  company. 

The  year  1838  witnessed  the  coming  of  additional  pioneers. 
Among  them  were  John  Downie  who  settled  in  Boardman  township 
and  who  was  one  of  the  first  county  commissioners.  J.  A.  McClellan 
was  an  1838  arrival.  He  lived  near  Garnavillo  and  had  been  a  captain 
in  the  War  of  1812,  serving  under  Gen.  Harrison  in  the  battles  of 
Tippecanoe  and  Fort  Meigs.  He  served  a  stormy  year  as  clerk  of  the 
District  Courts  in  1847.  Jo^^  Post  and  Elias  Meisner  settled  in  Read 
township,  in  1838. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1839  that  there  came  to  this  county  a  family 
destined  to  have  a  powerful  influence  upon  this  history.     This  was  the 


50  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

family  of  Mrs.  Mary  Uriell.  Mrs.  Uriell  was  a  brave  Irish  widow  and 
with  her  three  sons,  Patrick,  Michael  and  John,  she  came  to  America 
with  bold  confidence  in  God,  in  the  opportunities  of  the  new  land  and 
in  the  strong  right  arms  of  herself  and  her  stalwart  boys.  The  descend- 
ants of  this  notable  family  are  now  scattered  throughout  Clayton 
county  and  are  numbered  among  our  best  citizens.  Michael  Uriell  was 
a  powerful  factor  in  the  later  history  of  the  county.  Asa  W.  Gifford 
and  his  wife,  Hulda,  came  to  Boardman  township,  in  1839,  bringing 
with  them  their  son  G.  L.  Gifford  who  was  to  become  a  prominent  citi- 
zen of  Littleport.  Another  man  destined  to  become  prominent  and 
very  dearly  beloved,  who  came  to  the  county  in  1839,  was  Robert  R. 
Read  of  whom  we  shall  hear  much  later  and  a  sketch  of  whose  life 
will  appear  in  this  volume.  William  Schulte  was  among  the  earliest  of 
the  German  pioneers  settling  in  Garnavillo  township  in  1839 ;  he  him- 
self was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  county  until  his  death  in  1878 
and  his  descendants  are  among  our  honored  citizens.  Allen  E.  Wanzer 
also  came  in  1839  ^^^  established  himself  on  the  farm  which  he  called 
"Bogus  Hollow".  He  was  better  known  as  a  landlord  than  as  a 
farmer,  however,  and  he  was  "Mine  host"  at  the  Banfill  Hotel  at  Gar- 
navillo and  at  "Father's  House"  at  McGregor,  and  his  taverns  were 
noted  for  good  cheer. 

In  1834,  Iowa  was  a  part  of  Michigan  Territory.  In  1836,  it  was 
a  part  of  Wisconsin  Territory  and  at  this  time  a  census  of  the  territory 
was  ordered.  As  Clayton  was  the  northern-most  county,  all  the  unor- 
ganized territory  was  included,  in  this  census,  under  the  head  of  Clay- 
ton county,  and  in  all  the  vast  territory  which  was  attached  to  Clayton 
county  for  governmental  purposes  and  which  extended  north  to  the 
British  boundary  and  west  to  the  Rockies,  the  total  population  was 
given  as  three  hundred  and  fifty-four.  Among  the  other  settlers  prior 
to  1840  may  be  named  J.  W.  Jones  and  Henry  Redmon,  Isaac  Preston, 
Cap.  Park,  Robert  Campbell,  George  Jones,  Warren  Cooley,  Henry 
Sanders,  Ambrose  Kennedy,  John  Griffith,  Edward  Dickens,  Jack 
Cortright,  whose  murder  was  one  of  the  first  crimes  to  stir  the  county, 
Richard  Holtzbecker,  who,  as  sheriff,  was  killed  in  a  duel  with 
James  A.  McClellan  at  Prairie  la  Porte ;  Frank  Emerson,  Dudley  Peck, 
James  W.  Walker,  Herman  Greybill,  the  pioneer  of  Prairie  la  Porte 
and  the  Olmstead  Brothers  who  were  the  pioneers  of  Monona,  and 
D.  F.  Bickel,  Herman  Schnsider,  Conrad  Helwig,  Henry  Froelich, 
Conrad  Hartwig,  Charles  Hemple,  pioneers  of  Giard  township. 

These  men  and  others  whose  names  are  not  now  known,  together 
with  their  families,  constituted  the  dramatis  personae  of  the  great 
miracle  play  by  which  the  wilderness  was  transformed  into  the  Clayton 
county  as  we  know  it  today. 

One  of  the  earliest  settlers  in  Iowa  speaks  in  this  wise  of  the  char- 
acteristics of  the  pioneers :  "Mostly  young  men,  without  families,  who 
have  left  the  paternal  roof  in  the  older  states  in  search  of  homes  on  the 
frontier,  there  to  work  out  their  own  way  in  life's  battles  and  toils. 
The  young  pioneer  is  not  encumbered  with  extra  baggage ;  with  a  gun 
and  knife,  a  bake-pan,  tin  cup,  some  corn  meal  and  bacon,  all  packed  on 
his  back,  he  explores  the  country  on  foot.     He  selects  his  claim,  builds 


LOG    CABIN    DAYS — 1833-184O  5 1 

a  rude  log  cabin,  cooks  his  coarse  food  and  freely  shares  his  scanty 
supply  with  any  traveler  who  came  along." 

EARLIEST  COUNTY  HISTORY 

There  is  practically  no  written  history  of  Clayton  county  prior  to 
1838.  All  that  we  have  are  the  reminiscences  of  early  settlers  which 
will  be  given  in  added  chapters,  and  these  reminiscences  are,  with  the 
best  of  intent,  apt  to  be  contradictory  and  confused,  for  no  two  men  see 
events  alike  nor  is  the  human  memory  infallible. 

First  Courts. — During  these  first  years  Iowa  passed  from  the  con- 
trol of  Michigan  Territory  to  that  of  Wisconsin  Territory  and  in  1838, 
the  Governor  appointed  John  W.  Griffith,  as  sheriflf  of  Clayton  county 
with  instructions  to  summon  jurors  for  a  term  of  the  District  Court  to 
be  held  at  Prairie  la  Porte,  Clayton  county,  Wisconsin  Territory,  on 
May  4,  1838.  Hon.  Charles  Dunn  presided  at  this  first  court  of  justice 
in  Clayton  county.  William  H.  Banks  was  attorney  for  the  United 
States  and  James  Churchman  was  district  attorney.  F.  Andros  acted  as 
clerk  and  was  later  appointed  Clerk  of  the  District  Court.  The  grand 
jurors  were  Elisha  Boardman,  foreman,  Ava  Dunn,  William  D.  Grant, 
C.  R.  Hill,  W.  W.  Wayman,  Allen  Carpenter,  H.  D.  Bronson,  William 
Rowan,  Luther  Mead,  Daniel  Bugley,  G.  W.  Jones,  S.  Wadsworth, 
H.  Redman,  Edward  Dickens,  David  Springer,  Dean  Gay,  and 
Eliphalet  Price.  The  petit  jurors  were  William  McDowell,  Ambrose 
Kennedy,  A.  S.  Cooley,  Nathan  Springer,  Andrew  Whitaker,  Martin 
VanSickle,  Herman  Graybill,  Mathew  Peck,  Baldwin  Olmstead,  David 
Hastings,  Willard  Knight,  Eliot  Adams,  William  Walker,  Samuel 
Goss,  C.  S.  Edson,  Samuel  McMasters,  D.  C.  VanSickle,  William 
Harper,  William  Beasley,  John  Gillett,  H.  T.  Lander,  Dudley  Peck,  L 
H.  Preston,  and  Robert  Hatfield.  These  comprised  nearly  all  of  the 
mature  and  reputable  population  of  the  county  and  there  is  little  won- 
der that  there  was  no  business  to  be  transacted,  except  to  draw  the 
necessary  warrants  for  the  payment  of  those  in  attendance. 

Several  of  the  pioneers  did  not  respond  to  the  summons  of  the 
sheriff,  among  them  being  James  Henderson,  Nahum  Dudley,  Robert 
Campbell,  and  James  Brown.  These  men  were  solemnly  fined  ten 
dollars  each  for  contempt  of  court,  which  fines  were  as  solemnly  remit- 
ted at  the  September,  1838,  term  of  court,  over  which  Judge  T.  S. 
Wilson  presided.  This  was  the  first  court  held  in  this  county  after  the 
territory  of  Iowa  was  formed. 

FIRST  BOOK  OF  RECORD 

In  the  vault  of  the  county  auditor  there  is  an  old  leather  bound 
volume  still  well  preserved  but  with  pages  yellow  with  age.  It  contains 
the  first  record  of  the  county  commissioners  of  Clayton  county  and 
the  first  entry  is  dated  at  Prairie  la  Porte  October  15,  1838,  and  merely 
states  that  a  meeting  of  the  commissioners  was  held. 

FIRST  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS 

William  D.  Grant,  Robert  Campbell,  and  George  Culver  were  the 
first  county  commissioners  for  Clayton  county.  Their  first  work  was  the 


52  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

appointment  of  John  W.  Griffith  as  assessor  and  of  George  W.  Jones, 
Allen  Carpenter  and  Baldwin  Olmstead  as  "rode"  commissioners.  For 
election  purposes,  precincts  were  organized,  the  first  embracing  prac- 
tically what  is  now  Buena  Vista  township,  so  that  this  may  rightly  be 
considered  the  first  township  in  the  county,  although  it  was  then 
unnamed.  Elections  in  this  precinct  were  to  be  held  at  the  house  of 
Henry  Holtzbecker.  The  second  precinct  included  the  present  town- 
ships of  Millville,  Mallory,  Elk,  Volga,  Jefferson,  Read,  Garnavillo  and 
part  of  Clayton  and  the  elections  were  to  be  held  at  the  house  of  Her- 
man Graybill,  at  Prairie  la  Porte.  The  third  district  included  the  north 
part  of  Clayton  township  extending  west  to  include  Farmersburg,  Wag- 
ner and  Marion  townships  and  thence  north  and  east  along  the  line  oi 
the  Black  Hawk  Purchase  to  the  Mississippi  river  thus  making  it  in- 
clude all  of  the  north  part  of  the  county,  not  included  in  the  Neutral 
Ground,  and  a  portion  of  what  is  now  Allemakee  county.  Elections 
were  to  be  held  at  the  home  of  Jesse  Daudly.  The  fourth  election  pre- 
cinct embraced  the  six  townships  in  the  southwest  part  of  the  county 
and  elections  were  to  be  held  at  Boardman's  Mill.  Ambrose  Kennedy 
(or  Canada,  as  it  is  spelled  in  the  original  record),  was  appointed  com- 
missioner of  common  schools  for  the  first  precinct,  Herman  Graybill  for 
the  second,  Jesse  Daudly  for  the  third  and  John  Downie  for  the  fourth. 
This  meeting  of  the  commissioners  saw  the  county  fairly  organized; 
court  had  been  held,  there  was  a  sheriff  and  an  assessor  and  provisions 
had  been  made  both  for  the  holding  of  elections  and  for  schools. 

CENSUS  OF  1838 

This  meeting  of  the  commissioners  was  held  subsequent  to  the 
taking  of  the  first  census  of  the  county  by  J.  W.  Griffith.  According 
to  this  census,  taken  in  May,  1838,  there  were  181  males  and  93 
females  living  in  Clayton  county,  giving  a  total  of  274.  The  following 
is  the  list  of  the  heads  of  the  families  and  male  adults,  and  this  must 
be  taken  as  the  most  authentic  statement  of  the  pioneers  living  in 
Clayton  county  at  that  time.    The  list  is  as  follows : 

J.  W.  Griffith,  Robert  Campbell,  Elias  Miller,  Dudley  Peck,  David 
Springer,  Luther  Patch,  Eliphalet  Price,  Henry  Redman,  Thomas 
VanSyckle,  S.  Wadsworth,  James  Henderson,  George  W.  Jones, 
Luther  Mead,  H.  T.  Lander,  S.  L.  Tainter,  A.  S.  Cooley,  A.  Kennedy, 
William  Harper,  C.  S.  Edson,  Herman  Graybill,  William  Warner, 
Patton  McMullen,  Robert  Hatfield,  Reuben  Decus,  H.  D.  Bronson, 
Frederick  Andros,  S.  McMasters,  Allen  Carpenter,  David  Lowry, 
Bradford  Porter,  Jacob  Lemmons,  Henry  Johnson,  John  Frost,  Henry 
Warner,  Jesse  Daudley,  E.  Boardman,  William  W.  Wayman,  Nathan 
Dudley,  E.  R.  Hill,  Baldwin  Olmstead,  D.  C.  VanSyckle,  William  D. 
Grant,  Samuel  Johnson,  Mr.  McCraney,  E.  E.  Oliver,  William  Walker, 
Jacob  F.  Redman,  F.  L.  Rodolph,  Charles  Latrance,  S.  La  Point,  Peter 
La  Point,  Mr.  Burns. 

This  census  was  followed  by  an  election  Sept.  10,  1838.  There 
were  two  polling  places,  one  at  Winchester,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Turkey 
river  and  one  at  Prairie  la  Porte.  The  first  county  officers  were. 
Commissioners,    William    D.    Grant,    Robert    Campbell    and    George 


LOG    CABIN    DAYS 1833-184O  53 

Culver;  Treasurer,  Ambrose  Kennedy;  Recorder,  Frederick  Andros; 
Sheriff  and  Assessor,  John  W.  Griffith;  Probate  Judge,  S.  H. 
McMasters ;  Supreme  Court  Commissioner,  WiUiam  W.  Wayman ; 
Surveyor,  C.  S.  Edson ;  Coroner,  J.  B.  Quigley.  Concerning  the  first 
election  Hon.  Eliphalet  Price,  many  years  later  gave  the  following 
amusing  account : 

FIRST  ELECTION 

The  first  election  held  in  that  part  of  Dubuque  county  now  known 
as  the  County  of  Clayton,  took  place  on  the  first  Monday  in  September, 
1836,  at  the  residence  of  Robert  Hatfield,  on  the  Turkey  river,  which 
residence  was  situated  about  three  miles  from  the  mouth  of  the  river, 
looming  up  with  log  cabins'  stateliness,  solitary  and  alone,  in  the  very 
heart  of  the  town  of  Winchester.  Among  the  many  proprietors  of 
the  town  of  Winchester,  was  the  Hon.  John  S.  Horner,  who  was  at 
that  time  acting  Governor  of  Wisconsin,  whose  boundaries  then 
embraced  the  present  State  of  Iowa.  At  this  election  a  delegate  to 
Congress  and  five  members  of  the  Territorial  Legislature  were  to  be 
chosen.  The  candidates  for  Congress  were  George  Meeker  and  George 
W.  Jones.  Both  of  these  persons  resided  upon  the  east  side  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi. The  judges  of  the  election  were  Edward  Dickens,  John  H. 
Griffith  and  Henry  Redman :  the  clerks  were  William  W.  Wayman  and 
Eliphalet  Price.  It  was  believed  that  every  voter  residing  at  that  time 
in  what  is  now  known  as  the  County  of  Clayton,  was  there  on  that  day, 
and  exercised  his  right  of  suffrage.  The  whole  number  of  votes  cast 
was  thirty-one :  of  these  Meeker  received  twenty-eight  and  Jones  three. 
Nearly  every  voter  was  dressed  in  buckskin,  and  appeared  upon  the 
ground  with  a  rifle  upon  his  shoulder :  and  of  the  whole  number  that 
voted,  but  seven  had  ever  exercised  that  right  on  any  previous  occa- 
sion. 

BEGINNINGS 

Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  voters,  they  at  least  knew  what  they 
wanted  and  the  elections  were  entirely  nonpartisan.  At  a  called  meet- 
ing of  the  commissioners  held  in  November  a  tax  was  levied,  bonds  of 
county  officers  approved  and  the  following  election  officers  appointed 
for  the  ensuing  year:  David  Springer,  H.  T.  Lander,  Henry 
Holtzbecker,  for  precinct  one.  John  Gillett,  Patton  McMullen  and 
Baldwin  Olmstead  for  number  two.  Jesse  Daudley,  Allen  Carpenter 
and  C.  S.  Edson  for  number  three.  No  election  officers  were  appointed 
for  precinct  four. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  board  held  in  January,  1839,  two  important 
actions  were  taken.  What  are  now  known  as  Elk  and  Volga  town- 
ships were  set  aside  as  election  precinct  number  five,  elections  to  be 
held  at  the  house  of  George  Culver  and  the  officers  to  be  George 
Culver,  W.  W.  Wayman  and  Baldwin  Olmstead.  Horace  Bronson 
was  made  a  judge  in  precinct  two  to  replace  Olmstead  who  was  in  the 
new  fifth  precinct.  The  second,  and  more  important,  act  was  the 
ordering  of  the  road  commissioners  to  meet  with  the  road  commission- 
ers of  Dubuque  county  at  the  home  of  Martin  VanSickle  to  lay  out 
the  territorial  road  where  it  crossed  the  county  line.     Dean  Gay  acted 


54  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

as  clerk  of  the  board  at  this  session.  His  name  does  not  appear  in  the 
census  list  of  1838  and  he  is  rarely  mentioned  by  the  pioneers,  although 
he  seems  to  have  been  clerk  of  the  board  for  a  short  time.  We  know, 
however,  that  he  was  at  one  time  a  sergeant  in  the  regular  army  and 
stationed  at  Fort  Crawford. 

The  first  license  for  the  sale  of  ardent  liquors  in  this  county  was 
issued  by  Dean  Gay,  as  clerk,  to  Peter  Legree  on  March  19,  1839,  and 
was  granted  "according  to  the  last  act  of  the  Wisconsin  Legislature". 
Clayton  county  was  at  that  time  a  part  of  Iowa  Territory  and  not  of 
Wisconsin  and  it  is  an  open  question  as  to  whether  Gay  did  not  know 
of  this,  or  whether,  in  the  absence  of  an  Iowa  statute  governing,  he 
was  forced  to  use  that  of  Wisconsin  as  the  best  that  he  could  do. 

April  8,  1839,  ^he  board  met  and  appointed  Nathan  Dudley,  asses- 
sor ;  it  also  ordered  the  road  commissioners  to  meet  in  June  and  locate 
a  road  from  the  south  line  of  the  county  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  C.  S. 
Edson  was  ordered  to  survey  the  same.  This  was  the  first  road  ordered 
by  the  county  commissioners. 

On  the  24th  day  of  May,  1839,  William  D.  Grant  and  Robert 
Campbell  met,  as  commissioners,  to  survey  land  for  the  location  of  the 
county  seat.  During  the  remainder  of  the  official  year  no  official  busi- 
ness is  recorded,  save  the  issuance  of  licenses  to  James  A.  McClellan 
for  the  sale  of  groceries  and  liquors,  "not  less  quantity  that  a  quart" 
at  Prairie  la  Porte.  Fifteen  dollars  was  the  sum  charged.  The  first 
ferry  licenses  were  issued  by  this  board.  The  first  issued  was  to 
William  Walker  to  "keep  a  ferry  across  from  the  mouth  of  Turkey 
river  to  Cassville  for  the  sum  of  $5  for  one  year."  The  second  was 
issued  to  Louis  Massey  of  St.  Peters  "to  keep  a  ferry  across  the  Mis- 
sissippi one  mile  above  Fort  Snelling,  for  one  year  for  the  sum  of  $10." 
This  license  was  issued  on  the  petition  of  F.  Andros  and  it  is  probable 
that  the  party  was  unknown  to  the  commissioners  and  that  Dr.  Andros 
acted  for  him.  This  is  one  of  the  acts  of  the  commissioners  which 
gave  ground  for  the  erroneous  belief  that  at  one  time  Clayton  county 
included  a  vast  territory  within  its  boundaries.  It  has  already  been 
pointed  out,  however,  that  this  territory  was  simply  "attached"  for  gov- 
erning purposes  and  was  not  included  in  the  county  limits. 

At  an  August  session,  Herman  Graybill  was  licensed  to  keep  a 
tavern  and  grocery  at  Prairie  la  Porte  for  the  sum  of  $55  a  year.  In  the 
meantime  L.  D.  Tompkins  had  taken  the  place  of  Dean  Gay  as  clerk  of 
the  board  and  issued  this  license. 

FIRST  COUNTY  SEAT 

An  election  having  been  held,  the  new  board,  consisting  of  Patton 
McMullen,  H.  T.  Lander  and  W.  W.  Wayman  met  for  organization  on 
August  12,  1839.  Prior  to  this  time  the  record  simply  shows  that  the 
board  met  at  Prairie  la  Porte,  but  at  this  time  the  following  entry  is 
found,  "the  commissioners  agree  with  Herman  Graybill  to  furnish  a 
room  for  holding  court  and  rooms  for  the  grand  and  petit  juries  for  the 
sum  of  $5  per  day."  Thus  Graybill's  tavern  seems  to  have  been  the  first 
county  seat.  At  the  September  session  there  are  evidences  of  some 
dissension  between  the  board  and  the  clerk,  for  Charles  E.  Bensell  was 


LOG  CABIN  DAYS — 1833-184O  55 

appointed  clerk  "during  the  option  of  the  commissioners ;"  and  L.  B. 
Thompkins  writes  his  resignation  into  the  record.  The  new  board 
appointed  Baldwin  Olmstead,  William  Walker  and  Herman  Graybill 
as  road  commissioners,  and  Ambrose  Kennedy,  Herman  Graybill, 
Horace  Mallory,  John  Downie  and  Jesse  Doudley  as  school  commis- 
sioners and  election  officers.  In  October,  1839,  a  road  was  ordered 
from  "the  Colony  to  the  sawmill  on  Elk  Creek,  thence  to  Elisha  Board- 
man's,  thence  to  the  territorial  road,"  and  "from  the  mouth  of  the 
Turkey  river  to  Millville  or  Price's  Mill,"  and  the  commissioners  were 
ordered  to  meet  at  the  house  of  William  Walker  to  carry  out  these 
orders.  Among  the  first  roads  of  the  county  was  one  from  Prairie  la 
Porte  to  Hatfield's  Mill  and  another  "from  Prairie  la  Porte  to  the 
nearest  and  best  point  to  intersect  the  territorial  road  toward  Turkey 
river." 

The  vexed  question  of  the  county  seat  concerned  the  board  at  its 
session  in  October,  1839,  and  notices  were  ordered  posted  for  "letting 
out  the  building  of  a  court  house  and  other  buildings  at  Prairie  la 
Porte,  the  county  seat,"  also  a  deed  was  drawn  up  between  the  county 
commissioners  and  Herman  Graybill  and  John  Meyers,  "the  latter  re- 
linquishing all  their  right  title  and  claim  to  their  claim  to  Prairie  la 
Porte."  The  board  adjourned  to  meet  October  19,  for  the  purpose  "of 
letting  out  buildings."  At  the  October  19,  meeting,  however,  all  of  the 
above  actions  concerning  county  buildings  were  rescinded,  and  in  lieu 
thereof,  the  commissioners  decided  to  "meet  at  the  Washington  Hotel 
in  the  town  of  Dubuque,  on  Thursday,  the  twenty-fourth  day  of 
October,  for  the  purpose  of  proving  the  pre-emption  right  to  the 
northeast  quarter  of  section  seventeen,  township  92,  range  2,  west." 

The  board  made  the  intended  journey  to  Dubuque  and  the  follow- 
ing entry  is  made  of  the  Dubuque  meeting:  "Agreeable  to  previous 
notice  the  board  of  county  commissioners  met  at  Dubuque,  October  24, 
1839 ;  present,  H.  T.  Lander,  W.  W.  Wayman  and  Patton  McMullen. 
The  board  having  organized,  proceeded  to  land  office  and  proved  pre- 
emption to  N.  E.  Qt.  of  S.  17,  R.  2,  W.  Town  92  north,  for  the  benefit 
of  Clayton  County,  the  above  being  fractional  quarter  of  94  acres. 
Amount  paid  for  receipt  of  land  office  $118.62." 

The  board  met  at  Prairie  la  Porte  October  29,  but  owing  to  the 
absence  of  one  of  the  commissioners,  county  seat  matters  were  not 
taken  up,  although  other  business  was  transacted,  including  the  estab- 
lishment of  the  following  roads,  "commencing  at  Prairie  la  Porte  and 
running  to  the  south  end  of  Prairie  la  Porte,  then  crossing  the  creek 
and  running  to  the  bluflF,  then  down  the  bluff  to  the  deep  hollow,  then  up 
the  deep  hollow  to  third  ravine,  then  up  the  third  ravine  to  the  ter- 
ritorial road,"  and,  also,  a  road  with  an  equally  technical  description  as 
follows,  "commencing  at  the  mouth  of  Turkey  river  and  following  the 
bank  of  Turkey  river  to  the  mouth  of  Bluebelt  to  intersect  the  ter- 
ritorial road,  then  following  the  territorial  road  until  back  of  Holtz- 
berger's,  then  to  near  the  mouth  of  Little  Turkey,  then  up  the  mouth 
of  Little  Turkey  until  up  to  Price's  new  house."  It  was  also  ordered 
that  each  "free  male  white  citizen"  be  compelled  to  work  five  days  on 
the  roads. 

At  a  meeting,  November  12,  H.  D.  Bronson  was  appointed  clerk, 


56  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

vice  Charles  E.  Bensell,  resigned ;  C.  S.  Edson  was  employed  "to  survey 
the  county  land  into  town  lots  and  to  be  to  all  expense  for  survey  and 
drawing  three  plats  for  sum  of  $150."  At  this  session,  also,  is  found 
the  first  reference  to  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  the  bond  of  Henry  H. 
Sibley  being  "excepted"  and  filed. 

The  board  was  in  session  four  days  in  December,  1839.  The  com- 
missioners were  allowed  $3  per  day  for  three  days,  for  their  trip  to 
Dubuque,  together  with  their  expenses,  making  a  grand  total  of  $51. 
Relative  to  the  county  seat  it  was  "ordered  that  there  be  a  court  house 
built  on  the  public  square,  at  Prairie  la  Porte,  by  the  first  of  September, 
next,  size  and  quality  of  building  to  be  hereafter  mentioned;  also  that 
the  sale  of  town  lots  take  place  on  the  first  Monday  in  April  next; 
also,  that  the  furnishing  materials,  and  building  of  said  court  house  on 
the  public  square  in  Prairie  la  Porte  to  be  finished  by  the  fifteenth  oi 
September.  Resolved,  further,  that  the  sale  and  building  be  advertised 
in  the  Iowa  News  for  three  months."  This  ended  the  work  of  the 
county  board  for  the  first  decennial  and  the  next  session  was  held 
January  6,  1840. 

EARLY   COURT   SESSIONS 

In  the  meantime  other  branches  of  government  had  not  been  idle. 
In  April,  1839,  a  term  of  the  District  Court  was  held  at  which  Edwin 
Reeves  acted  as  United  States  Attorney  and  Hiram  Loomis  as 
Marshal.  This  was  the  first  term  of  court  at  which  actual  business 
was  transacted.  The  first  cause  called  was  an  attachment  suit  of  Her- 
man Graybill  vs.  Edward  E.  Oliver,  and  judgment  was  rendered  by 
default.  The  second  was  that  of  W.  W.  Chapman  vs.  H.  T.  Lander 
for  trespass,  this  also  went  by  default.  The  first  divorce  case  was 
that  of  Thomas  Walker  vs.  Mary  Walker.  As  the  defendant  was  a 
non-resident,  notice  was  ordered  published  in  the  Iowa  News  of 
Dubuque,  which  was  the  only  newspaper  in  all  this  region  at  the  time. 
The  petit  jurors  for  this  term  were  Robert  Hetfield,  Eli  Carlin,  Wil- 
liam Deans,  Patton  McMullen,  David  Hastings,  E.  Boardman,  Samuel 
Peck,  A.  S.  Cooley,  H.  Redman,  Martin  VanSickle,  James  Brown, 
James  Henderson,  L.  B.  Thompkins,  William  W.  Wayman,  Solomon 
Wadsworth,  William  Harper,  and  Michael  Stents.  The  panel  being 
incomplete  the  sheriff  called  in  the  following  by-standers  to 
complete  it :  E.  Price,  H.  T.  Lander,  E.  R.  Hill,  C.  S.  Edson  and  John 
Wilkinson.  The  first  indictment  returned  by  a  Clayton  county  grand 
jury  was  against  Daniel  Beezley.  The  case  was  continued  and  the 
defendant  held  under  bond  of  $400  furnished  by  Joseph  B.  Quigley. 
The  first  jury  trial  was  in  the  case  of  C.  M.  Price  vs.  H.  Graybill,  an 
attachment  suit.  This  case  the  jury  decided  in  favor  of  Price.  Pierre 
la  Grois  was  tried  before  a  jury  for  selling  liquor  to  the  Indians,  was 
found  guilty  and  fined  $80  and  costs.  The  case  against  Daniel 
Beezley  was  also  tried  before  a  jury  and  Beezley  was  found  "not 
guilty."  At  this  term  of  court,  also,  James  Crawford  was  admitted  to 
the  bar  on  motion  of  J.  B.  Barrett.  Mr.  Crawford  never  made  his 
home  in  this  county. 


LOG   CABIN   DAYS — 1833-184O  57 

JUDGE  T.  S.  WILSON 

Judge  Thomas  S.  Wilson,  who  presided  over  the  early  courts  of 
Clayton  county  was  the  first  territorial  judge  for  Iowa,  and  he  presided 
over  the  courts  here  until  1847,  when  the  judicial  district  was  changed 
by  the  constitution  of  1846.  In  1852  he  was  elected  judge  of  the  ninth 
judicial  district  which  did  not  include  Clayton  county.  He  served  in 
the  legislature  in  1866  and  1868  and  died  in  Dubuque  at  a  ripe  old  age. 
He  was  an  excellent  judge  and  his  honesty  and  just  decisions  did  much 
to  establish  confidence  in  the  court  and  to  instil  respect  for  law  in 
Clayton  county. 


THg  VEW  YORK 

^^mc   UBHAftY 


AWOl,    LtNM    AND 


1,  A.  S.  COOLEY.  2,  J.  K.  FRANCIS.  3,  THOMAS  WALKER.  4,  JOHN 
W.  GILLETT.  5,  S.  WADSWORTH.  6,  .JAMES  .JONES.  7,  .JONATHAN 
KAUFFMAN.  8,  ASA  GIFFORD.  9.  CYRUS  HENDERSON.  10,  SAMUEL 
MURDOCK.  11.  ELISHA  BOARDMAN.  12,  ELIPHALET  PRICE.  13,  P.  P. 
OLMSTED.  14,  MIKE  STENCE.  1.5,  SAMUEL  PECK.  16,  WILLARD 
KNIGHT.  17,  REV.  H.  GIFFORD.  18,  "FREED"  HOWARD.  19,  JOHN 
PADDELFORD.  20,  .JAMES  RYAN.  21,  H.  D.  BROWNSON.  22,  MICHAEL 
URIELL.     23,  JAMES   DAVIS 


CHAPTER  III 


CLEARINGS— 1840-1850 

NEWCOMERS — COUNTY  GOVERNMENT — FERRY  LICENSES — REBECCA  CLUES 
— W.  W,  WAYMAN — BOARD  OF  1 84 1 -2 — ELECTION  OF  1 842 — FOUNDING 
OF  JACKSONVILLE — PROBATE  COURT — DISTRICT  COURT — EARLY  ELEC- 
TION   PRECINCTS — BEGINNINGS   OF   GUTTENBERG COUNTY   JAIL — GAR- 

NAVILLO HARTGE    MURDER — COUNTY   AFFAIRS   IN    1847 — 1"^^   TOWN- 
SHIPS NAMED FIRST  COUNTY  SEAT  ELECTION,    1849 COURTS JUDGE 

JAMES  GRANT — COUNTY  IN    185O. 

WITH  the  year  1840  we  have  passed  the  crudest  of  the  pioneer 
days.  There  were  many  who  felt  themselves  at  this  time  to  be 
old  settlers.  Certain  men  were  rising  above  the  level  of  their 
fellows,  showing  by  their  ability  and  energy  that  they  were  to  be  the 
leaders  of  the  county.  During  the  decade  from  1840  to  1850  the  county 
was  to  see  many  changes.  During  the  first  of  this  decade  emigration 
continued  as  it  had,  but  with  diminishing  volume.  In  1838  the  popula- 
tion was  274,  in  1840,  1044,  in  1844  it  had  increased  but  little,  the  pop- 
ulation being  1200.  In  1846  it  was  1500.  At  this  time  began  the  early 
German  immigration  and,  by  1847,  the  population  had  grown  to  2176, 
by  1849  it  was  3000,  and  in  1850  it  had  increased  to  3873.  The  first 
period  of  what  may  be  called  purely  American  settlement,  although 
there  were  many  foreigners  included,  lasted  from  1833  to  1846,  after 
which  the  county  underwent  a  transformation  by  the  infusion  of  much 
German  blood. 

The  newness  of  the  first  period  with  which  we  have  already 
dealt  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  William  Grant,  one  of  the  first  com- 
missioners, and  John  Downie,  also  one  of  the  first  officials,  did  not 
become  citizens  of  the  United  States  until  June  27,  1842. 

THE  NEWCOMERS 

Among  the  newcomers  during  the  first  part  of  this  period  who 
afterward  became  prominent  and  respected  citizens  were  Douglas  Peck, 
noted  as  a  hunter,  who  came  in  1841 ;  William  Schulte,  who  settled  at 
Garnavillo  in  the  same  year,  and  who  was  one  of  the  very  first  German 
immigrants.  He  was  noted  for  his  great  physical  strength  and  he  and 
his  sons  were  prominent  throughout  the  history  of  the  county.    John  S. 


60  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Lewis,  an  inventor,  as  well  as  a  farmer,  settled  in  Volga  township,  in 
1842.  Henry  Graybill  came  as  a  lad  to  Prairie  la  Porte  the  same  year. 
S.  H.  F.  Schulte,  another  German,  destined  to  be  prominent,  was  bom 
in  Garnavillo  township,  in  1842.  Frederick  Hartge  and  Asa  Gifford 
and  his  son  George  were  also  among  the  newcomers  in  1842,  Hartge 
locating  on  the  present  site  of  Elkport.  About  this  time  Michael  and 
John  Stence,  Joel  Post,  John  Roberts,  H.  H.  Singer,  P.  R.  Moore  and 
Alex  Paul  joined  the  settlement  near  Boardman's  Mill.  Cyrus  Hender- 
son, Robert  Bunker,  William  Foster  and  Joseph  Heinrich  were  Buena 
Vista  pioneers.  Joseph  Hewett  began  trade  with  the  Winnebagoes  on 
the  Cass  township  line,  in  1844.  Orin  Keeler  and  James  Co  well  estab- 
lished a  ferry  at  the  foot  of  Sny  Magill  and  endeavored  to  establish  a 
town,  christened  Keeleroy,  in  1846.  Phillip  Cox,  who  gave  his  name  to 
Cox  creek,  was  an  1842  settler,  remaining  only  long  enough  to  fasten  his 
name  upon  the  stream  and  township.  A  German  family  by  the  name 
of  Falldorf  came  to  this  township  in  the  same  year,  but  were  driven  out 
by  the  Indians  and  endured  many  hardships.  The  place  of  their  resi- 
dence is  still  known  as  Dutch  Hollow.  William  Bente  and  Captain 
Douglas  Quigley  settled  in  Cox  Creek  in  1844  and  1845,  respectively. 
In  1843,  Garnavillo  became  the  home  of  three  men  who  proved  them- 
selves to  be  among  the  giants  of  Clayton  county.  These  men  were 
Samuel  Murdock,  Reuben  Noble,  and  E.  H.  Williams.  James  Watson, 
who  later  donated  to  the  county  the  present  site  of  Garnavillo,  also 
came  to  the  county  about  this  time.  In  Giard  township  the  settlers 
during  this  period  from  1840  to  1845  were  James  Tapper,  Samuel  A. 
Goth,  William  Clement,  Hugh  Graham,  and  Ira  B.  Briggs. 

The  settlement  of  Lodomillo  township  did  not  begin  until  1844 
when  a  Mr.  Lyon  settled  on  section  26.  The  real  pioneers  of  what 
became  known  as  the  "Yankee  Settlement"  were  Horace  Beavis,  Isaac 
Preston,  and  William  C.  and  F.  C.  Madison,  who  settled  there  in  1845. 
P.  P.  Olmstead  and  David  Olmstead  were  the  first  white  settlers  in 
Monona  township,  settling  near  the  Indian  village  connected  with  the 
government  station.  S.  Cummings,  John  Rowe,  A.  T.  Depew  and  C. 
B.  Gray  followed  them  in  1841-42.  Among  the  other  settlers  in  this 
period  in  Monona  township  were  John  Roberts,  E.  Bonnel,  E.  D. 
Button,  P.  R.  Moore,  John  Zimmerman,  John  Bull,  C.  B.  Guy,  a  black- 
smith, Robert  Tucker  and  Mr,  Bushnell  and  family.  Rev.  Father 
Joseph  Cretin,  afterward  bishop  of  St.  Paul,  found  a  sufficient  number 
of  his  faith  in  the  county  so  that  he  made  missionary  visits  through 
the  county,  holding  services  at  the  homes  of  church  members,  in 
1841-42.  John  Paddle  ford  and  his  brother  Leverett  and  John  Mayville 
made  their  first  visit  to  Sperry  township  in  1842  and  Mr.  Paddleford 
made  it  his  permanent  residence  in  1845. 

COUNTY  GOVERNMENT 

The  county  commissioners  with  H.  D.  Bronson  as  clerk  resumed 
its  sessions  in  January,  1840,  and  it  is  noted  that  Isaac  Preston  was 
granted  a  license  for  "keeping  grocery,"  and  that  E.  Price  was  paid  for 
services  for  "the  organization  of  county  commissioners,  August  12, 
1839."    The  board  considered  plans  for  the  new  court  house,  but  in  the 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  61 

meantime  continued  to  rent  quarters  of  Mr.  Graybill.     Adjournment 
was  taken  on  March  30,  to  meet  at  H.  D.  Bronson's,  at  Prairie  la  Porte. 

On  April  8,  1840,  the  board  met  and  "ordered  that  the  sale  of 
lots  of  the  county  land  is  open  and  sales  commenced  and  stand  until 
5  o'clock  P.  M.  and  that  the  sales  be  registered."  On  the  next  day 
the  sale  of  lots  made  to  G.  M.  Price  were  approved  and,  from  the 
proceeds,  the  commissioners  drew  for  their  expenses  for  the  trip  to 
Dubuque,  with  20  per  cent  interest.  Robert  Hetfield  was  appointed 
public  agent  for  disposing  of  the  land  at  the  county  seat. 

On  May  12  the  contract  for  the  new  court  house  was  let  to 
Bronson  and  Jones. 

A  bond  was  drawn  up  on  which  William  D.  Grant  was  security. 
The  county  was  to  pay  $2,500,  "at  15  per  cent  interest  from  the  time 
the  same  notes  are  drawn  and  not  paid."  The  building  was  to  be 
erected  by  November  i.  The  first  bill  for  a  coroner's  inquest  was 
allowed  William  Walker,  Esq.,  at  the  July  session  of  the  board ;  this  for 
holding  inquest  on  the  body  of  a  person,  unknown,  drowned  in  the 
Mississippi  river.  At  this  time,  July,  1840,  the  old  election  precinct 
number  three  was  discontinued  and  a  new  precinct  formed  which 
included  what  are  now  Giard,  Mendon,  Farmersburg  and  the  north 
half  of  Clayton  townships.  There  seems  to  have  been  no  provision 
for  an  election  in  the  four  northwest  townships  of  the  county.  Showing 
the  wide  jurisdiction  of  Clayton  county  at  this  time  are  the  following 
entries,  "Ordered  that  the  settlement  at  the  outlet  of  Lake  Pepin  be 
composed  as  an  election  precinct,  to  be  called  the  sixth  precinct  and 
that  Charles  Sweet,  Oliver  Cratt  and  James  Wells  be  appointed  first 
judges  and  election  held  at  the  home  of  Oliver  Cratt." 

A  similar  order  was  issued  for  an  election  precinct  at  the  mouth 
of  the  St.  Peters  river  to  be  known  as  precinct  seven.  At  this  term 
Asa  Gififord  was  appointed  a  road  commissioner  "in  the  place  of  S. 
B.  Olmstead  who  refuses  to  act." 

The  necessity  for  a  building  for  the  safe-keeping  of  records  was 
felt  and  the  board  contracted  with  Robert  Hetfield  for  the  delivery  of 
the  "stuflf"  necessary,  and  with  David  Hastings  for  the  erection  of  a 
building,  14  feet  square,  for  this  purpose.  Horace  D.  Bronson  resigned 
as  clerk  of  the  board  and  Alfred  Northan  succeeded  him.  J.  W. 
Griffith  was  allowed  $40  for  assessing  Clayton  county  for  the  year  of 
1840. 

Ferry  Licenses — Ferry  license  was  granted  to  Thomas  P.  Park  to 
keep  a  ferry  across  Turkey  river  at  Mead's  Branch.  The  license  fee 
was  $2.  And  the  tolls  were  fixed  as  follows:  "For  each  person,  123/2 
cents;  each  horse  or  mule,  25  cents;  wheel  carriages,  each  wheel  12^/2 
cents;  every  head  of  cattle,  25  cents;  swine  or  sheep,  634  cents;  every 
cwt.  of  freight  over  5  cwt.,  5  cents." 

A  license  was  also  issued  to  William  Walker  at  this  session  for  a 
ferry  at  or  near  the  mouth  of  Turkey  river  across  the  Mississippi  river, 
the  fee  was  $5  per  annum  and  the  rates  just  double  those  allowed  on 
the  Turkey.  At  an  adjourned  meeting,  held  October  26,  1840,  at  the 
house  of  Herman  Graybill,  the  following  bonds  were  approved:  Fred- 
erick Andros,  Recorder;  Ambrose  Kennedy,  Treasurer;  William 
Sackett  and  David  Springer,  Justices  of  the  Peace;  William  Walker, 


62  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Coroner,  and  David  Hastings  and  Thomas  P.  Park,  Constables,  and 
Edwin  Lyon,  Assessor.  On  the  next  day  the  bonds  of  Nathan  Springer 
as  Constable  and  Robert  Campbell  as  Justice  were  approved.  H.  C. 
Munche  was  allowed  $31.50  for  services  as  messenger  from  the  judges 
of  election  at  the  St.  Peter  precinct.  At  the  October  election  Elisha 
Boardman  succeeded  Patton  McMuUen  as  a  member  of  the  board  and 
he  acted  as  a  commissioner  for  the  first  time  on  December  31,  1840. 
In  January,  1841,  Eliphalet  Price  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  board 
and  Daniel  Beezley,  road  supervisor,  was  instructed  "to  call  upon  the 
citizens  in  his  district  to  work  a  good  wagon  route  up  the  hill  from 
Mr.  Lander's  on  the  territorial  road."  In  February  the  assessor  was 
ordered  "to  assess  the  people  of  St.  Peters  and  all  intermediate  points 
between  the  county  seat  and  that  place."  A  road  was  ordered 
at  this  session  to  commence  "at  the  termination  of  the  Dubuque  road 
at  the  Colony  from  thence  to  Elk  creek,  through  the  Boardman  settle- 
ment to  intersect  the  territorial  road  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Evidently 
the  court  house  was  not  completed,  for  quarters  were  rented  from  Her- 
man Graybill  for  the  year  1841. 

Rebecca  Clues — It  is  at  about  this  time  that  we  find  the  first  of  a 
long  series  of  appropriations  for  the  care  of  Rebecca  Clues  who  was  the 
first  "county  charge."  W.  W.  Wayman  was  a  member  of  the  board  and 
it  is  said  that  he  was  responsible  for  her  coming  to  the  county  and 
just  how  it  happened  that  he  allowed  her  to  be  maintained  at  county 
expense  is  not  explained.  Eliphalet  Price,  who  did  more  than  any 
other  man  to  preserve  the  history  of  the  county  and  who  wrote  in  a 
delightful  vein  that  was  real  literature,  has  this  to  say  of  Rebecca 
Clues:  "She  was  for  many  years  a  county  charge,  and  all  this  time 
passed  for  a  white  person.  Formerly  she  was  a  dark  mulatto,  and  the 
slave  and  property  of  Governor  Clarke  of  Missouri  who  emancipated 
her  after  her  change  of  color.  This  change  of  color  from  a  mulatto 
to  a  white  took  place  immediately  after  her  recovery  from  a  severe 
attack  of  biUious  fever.  She  was  the  head,  or  principal,  cook  in  the 
family  of  Governor  Clarke,  who  lived  in  great  style  in  St.  Louis,  and 
was  the  owner  of  many  slaves.  As  a  cook  she  had  few  superiors. 
When  she  first  came  to  the  mines  she  could  speak  the  French  and 
Spanish  languages  as  well  as  the  English,  but  in  after  years  she  lost  all 
knowledge  of  the  French  and  Spanish,  and  began  to  speak  the  English 
with  the  Negro  dialect.  Aunt  Becky,  as  she  was  called,  had  exper- 
ienced many  of  the  vicissitudes  of  frontier  life.  She  had  been  a  slave 
and  a  free  woman;  a  mulatto  and  a  white  woman;  she  could  speak 
at  one  time  three  languages;  she  was  the  first  woman  that  came  into 
Clayton  county,  and,  after  a  residence  here  of  twenty-four  years,  was 
the  first  woman  in  the  county  who  died  a  pauper,  after  having  attained 
the  age  of  about  eighty  years." 

Wayman  himself  seems  to  have  been  an  odd  character,  although 
he  was  much  respected  and  did  good  work  as  a  member  of  the  board. 
Relative  to  him  the  history  of  1882  speaks  as  follows : 

W.  W.  Wayman — Colonel  William  W.  Wayman,  the  first  settler 
of  Volga  township  and  Clayton  county,  was  a  native  of  New  Hamp- 
shire, a  man  of  liberal  education  and  polished  manners.  In  his  habits 
and  the  expression  of  his  face,  it  was  easy  to  detect  one  of  those 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  63 

freaks  of  human  nature  that  occasionally  appear  among  the  descendants 
of  the  pilgrims  of  New  England,  disturbing  the  purity  of  the  Saxon 
blood  by  portraying  in  lineament  and  contour  that  of  the  Narragansett 
of  the  Wampanoag.  Among  white  men  he  was  reticent,  watchful  and 
restless ;  in  the  society  of  the  Indian  he  was  authoritative,  stern  and 
commanding.  He  never  performed  any  manual  labor  other  than  that 
which  pertained  to  the  indoor  affairs  of  his  house.  The  Indian  and 
the  half-breed  regarded  him  as  a  mysterious  being.  They  would  toil 
and  labor  for  him  without  any  other  reward  than  the  pleasure  of  being 
near  his  person.  The  largest  portion  of  his  lifetime  had  been  spent 
upon  the  frontier,  in  the  society  of  the  Indian  and  the  hunter,  and 
yet  he  could  never  be  prevailed  upon  to  give  any  information  con- 
cerning the  manners,  customs  or  traditions  of  the  Indians.  Intimacy 
and  social  intercourse  with  him  for  many  years  upon  the  border  only 
seemed  to  render  more  impenetrable  the  shield  of  mystery  that  he  had 
woven  around  the  events  of  his  life.  He  was  the  father  of  a  half-breed 
daughter,  whom  he  educated  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Little  more  is  known 
of  this  strange  life,  whose  story  died  with  him. 

Hon.  Eliphalet  Price  gives  an  account  of  the  circumstances  attend- 
ing his  death :  "In  the  fall  of  1848,  about  the  midnight  hour  of  a 
dreary  night,  our  dog  drove  an  Indian  to  the  top  of  a  hayrack  that 
stood  leaning  against  the  dooryard  fence.  Upon  going  to  him  he 
handed  us  the  following  communication :  'Come  quick ;  I  am  dying ; 
Ann  will  give  you  my  keys.  W.  W.  Wayman.'  We  hastened  to  him, 
but  he  was  dead  when  we  reached  his  residence.  The  keys  unlocked, 
in  part,  the  history  of  a  strange,  adventurous  life,  and  told  us  that 
his  name  was  William  Wallace  Hutcherson,  a  descendant  of  the  May- 
flower." Colonel  Wayman,  however,  was  hardly  a  settler  of  Volga 
township.  He  was  an  Indian  trader,  and  kept  a  trading  post  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Volga,  on  the  Turkey. 

Board  of  1841 — During  the  year  1841  a  license  was  issued  for  a 
ferry  across  Turkey  river  at  Millville  and  a  road  from  Millville  was 
located  on  the  most  direct  route  to  Dubuque.  At  a  meeting  held  April 
5,  1841,  which  was  also  attended  by  Henry  Holtzbecker,  who  had 
succeeded  John  W.  Griffith  as  sheriff,  a  ferry  license  was  issued  to 
Thomas  P.  Burnett  and  Alexander  McGregor,  "to  keep  a  ferry  across 
the  Mississippi  river  from  Cooley  de  Soo  to  Prairie  du  Chien."  This 
license  was  for  two  years  at  $5  per  annum  and  rates  were  as  follows : 
Single  man,  25  cents ;  wheel  carriage,  per  wheel,  25  cents ;  horned 
cattle,  per  head,  50  cents;  horses,  50  cents;  hogs,  12^/2  cents;  sheep 
and  goats,  6^  cents ;  mules,  50  cents ;  freight,  not  contained  in 
vehicle,  123^  cents  per  cwt.  The  first  mention  of  a  county  bridge 
is  on  April  6,  1841,  when  it  is  ordered  that  "Eliphalet  Price  be  allowed 
the  sum  of  $45  for  building  a  bridge  across  Little  Turkey  river  at 
Millville  and  the  same  bridge  be  accepted  as  the  property  of  Clayton 
county." 

A  new  election  precinct  was  created,  elections  to  be  held  at  the 
house  of  David  Lowrie  with  H.  D.  Bronson,  John  B.  Thomas  and 
David  Lowrie  as  judges.  This  precinct  was  at  the  "new  mission"  and 
the  bounds  were  designated  "by  the  bounds  of  the  Neutral  Grounds." 
The  session  of  April  28,  1841,  was  evidently  a  heated  affair  for  the 


64  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

following  entries  are  found  :  "Whereas  the  assessor  (Edwin  Lyon)  of 
the  county  of  Clayton  has  neglected  and  refused  to  perform  his  duty 
as  assessor,  and  a  statute  of  Iowa  provides  that  the  board  of  com- 
missioners shall  fill  such  a  vacancy  by  appointment,  be  it,  therefore, 
ordered  that  Thomas  P.  Park  be  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy 
occasioned  by  the  neglect  and  refusal  of  such  assessor  and  that  the 
assessment  roll  be  delivered  to  the  said  Thomas  P.  Park  for  1841." 
And  below  this  comes  the  ominous  entry :  "Ordered  that  Daniel 
Justice  be  fined  the  sum  of  $2  for  contempt  of  court." 

The  commissioners  were  evidently  subjected  to  considerable  criti- 
cism for,  on  July  6,  1841,  the  following  entry  was  made:  "We  the 
undersigned,  through  the  medium  of  the  records  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners,  do  declare  and  make  known  that  we  herewith 
resign,  each  of  us,  the  office  of  county  commissioners  of  Clayton  county 
— reserving  the  right  to  perform  the  duties  of  said  office  until  our  suc- 
cessors are  duly  elected  and  qualified  for  said  office  according  to  law." 
Signed,  H.  T.  Lander,  Elisha  Boardman,  W.  W.  Wayman.  The 
record  book  now  contains  the  bonds  of  William  Weatherwax,  William 
H.  Post,  W.  W.  Wayman,  David  Springer  and  James  A.  McClellan  as 
Justices  of  the  Peace,  Graham  Thorne,  constable  and  Ambrose  Ken- 
nedy, Treasurer.  The  report  of  commissioners  appointed  by  the  leg- 
islature to  locate  a  territorial  road  between  Iowa  City  and  Prairie  du 
Chien  was  accepted  and  L.  M.  Strong  and  Israel  Mitchell  were  paid 
for  their  services  as  commissioners. 

On  August  23,  1841,  the  new  board,  consisting  of  E.  Price,  A.  S. 
Cooley  and  Thomas  Linton,  qualified  and  Charles  S.  La  Grave  was 
elected  clerk,  Edgar  Griswold  acting  in  his  absence.  The  bonds 
of  Griswold  as  assessor  and  of  Anson  Rudesill  as  public  administrator 
were  approved.  Thomas  P.  Parks  was  allowed  $100  for  services  ren- 
dered in  assessing  the  St.  Peters  country  in  1841. 

A  posting  of  the  books  from  October,  1839,  to  August  26,  1841, 
showed  that  the  county  expenditures  were  $3,054.72,  and  the  receipts 
$2,096.59,  making  the  indebtedness  of  the  county  $959.13.  Having 
accumulated  a  county  debt,  it  will  be  seen  that  Clayton  had  reached 
an  advanced  stage  of  civilization.  A  contract  was  made  with  Herman 
Graybill  for  the  purchase  of  a  frame  building  situated  on  the  public 
square  at  Prairie  la  Porte  for  county  purposes  and  for  the  use  of  the 
building  then  occupied  by  the  county  court,  "for  the  use  of  all 
town,  county  or  public  meetings,  whatsoever."  It  was  in  this  year  that 
the  territorial  road  was  established  from  Dubuque  to  Fort  Atkinson. 
Calbert  Roberts,  Samuel  S.  Clifton  and  Joseph  Hewitt  were  the  com- 
missioners appointed  by  the  territory.  The  county  paid  for  their  serv- 
ices but  charged  a  portion  to  the  county  of  Fayette,  as  there  were 
20^4  rniles  of  this  road  in  Clayton  and  29^  miles  in  Fayette. 

An  entry  which  is  interesting  but  the  details  of  which  are  not 
known  reads  as  follows :  "Ordered  that  the  petitions  received  for  and 
against  an  election  be  considered  not  a  fair  representation  and  that 
the  petitions  for  and  against  an  election  at  the  next  meeting  of  the 
board  will  be  acted  upon  by  the  board  and  that  the  majority  of  the 
people  of  Clayton  county  proper,  within  50  miles,  including  the  mission 
precinct."    The  above  is  very  ambiguous  and  does  not  state  the  reasons 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  6$ 

for  such  petitions  nor  the  nature  of  the  election  desired.  It  shows, 
however,  that  the  commissioners  considered  everything  within  50 
miles  of  Prairie  la  Porte  as  belonging  to  "Clayton  county,  proper." 
It  was  in  this  year  that  James  A.  McClellan  shot  and  killed  Henry 
Holtzbecker,  the  then  sheriff  of  the  county.  This  tragedy  occurred  at 
Prairie  la  Porte.  The  two  men  got  into  a  personal  quarrel  and  it  is 
claimed  that  Holtzbecker  went  to  his  house  and  obtained  a  pistol  for 
the  avowed  purpose  of  shooting  McClellan,  and  that,  when  McClellan 
saw  him  approaching  with  his  weapon  drawn,  McClellan,  who  had  a 
loaded  rifle  at  his  side,  fired  and  killed  Holtzbecker  instantly.  Asa 
Griswold  presided  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  at  the  preliminary  hearing 
which  followed  McClellan's  arrest,  at  which  time  McClellan  was 
acquitted  on  the  grounds  of  self-defense.  Holtzbecker  was  succeeded 
by  J.  W.  Griffith  as  sheriff.  In  January,  1842,  an  accounting  was 
made  with  the  treasurer,  Ambrose  Kennedy,  and  it  was  found  that  a 
balance  of  $991.69  was  due  the  county.  This  was  promptly  paid,  how- 
ever, and  the  account  balanced. 

Polly  Reese  was  the  second  person  to  be  cared  for  by  the  county 
and  is  described  as  an  "insane  female  without  relatives  or  friends." 
On  the  fifth  day  of  February,  1842,  Polly  Reese  "was  offered  to  the 
lowest  bidder  and  struck  off  to  James  Henderson  at  the  sum  of  $2,871^ 
per  week."  Mr.  Henderson  evidently  found  he  had  made  a  poor 
bargain  for  he  soon  turned  Polly  back  to  the  county  and  later,  many 
bills  were  allowed  different  people  for  her  board  and  care. 

The  first  record  of  a  bounty  is  found  under  the  date  of  March  7, 
1842;  for  black  or  gray  wolves  $1.50  was  offered;  for  cubs  75  cents; 
for  prairie  wolves  $1,  and  for  cubs  50  cents. 

It  was  April  4,  1842,  that  Robert  R.  Read  succeeded  E.  B.  Lyon, 
as  clerk  of  the  board.  Mr.  Read  afterward  served  the  county  in  official 
capacities  until  the  infirmities  of  age  forced  him  to  resign.  Read  town- 
ship is  named  in  his  honor  and  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in 
the  county.  A  sketch  of  his  life  is  given  elsewhere.  At  this  session 
of  the  board  H.  M.  Rice  was  licensed  to  keep  a  ferry  across  the 
Mississippi  at  what  was  known  as  Doucmans  Ferry  at  Prairie  du 
Chien.  At  this  time  Millville  precinct  was  extended  to  include  the 
south  part  of  Jefferson  and  Mallory  townships ;  at  the  same  time  Elk 
Creek  precinct  was  extended  "to  include  all  persons  residing  between 
the  waters  of  Turkey  river  and  Elk  creek  in  the  county  of  Clayton,  and 
all  persons  residing  in  the  county  of  Fayette."  Wanzer  precinct  was 
divided  and  a  new  precinct  called  the  Yellow  River  precinct  was 
created,  the  boundaries  of  which  were  as  follows :  "From  the  mouth 
of  Bloody  Run,  following  its  stream  five  miles,  thence  to  Yellow  river, 
eight  miles  up  said  river,  thence  to  the  Painted  Rock."  Mission  pre- 
cinct was  attached  to  Yellow  river  precinct.  Williard  Knight  was  made 
supervisor  of  a  new  road  district  which  was  to  include  all  persons 
living  south  of  Dr.  Andros's  and  north  of  Robert  R.  Read's,  The 
board  met  on  July  4,  1842,  but  no  official  recognition  of  the  day  is 
made.  Part  of  the  business  transacted  that  day  was  to  change  the 
voting  place  of  Boardman  precinct  from  the  "Dry  Mill"  to  the  home 
of  Elisha  Boardman. 


66  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

THE  ELECTION  OF  1 842 

In  August,  1842,  the  board  canvassed  the  votes  of  the  preceding 
election  and  entered  results  on  the  minute  book.  This  is  the  only 
election  during  the  40's  of  which  we  have  any  complete  record.  The 
vote  was  as  follows:  Sheriff — Ambrose  Kennedy,  71,  John  Linton,  54^ 
Thomas  P.  Parks,  20;  Commissioner — A.  S.  Cooley,  137;  Clerk — 
Robert  R.  Read,  133,  E.  B.  Cornish,  3 ;  Recorder — Charles  E.  Ben- 
sell,  8,  E.  B.  Cornish,  60;  Coroner — Robert  Campbell,  59,  William 
Walker,  12,  James  King,  31,  John  W.  Gillett,  36;  Surveyor — C.  S. 
Edson,  65,  H.  D.  Lee,  70 ;  Assessor — Horace  D.  Bronson,  107,  Charles 
Sawyer,  25 ;  Treasurer — H.  T.  Lander,  59,  David  Springer,  20,  John 
Downie,  36. 

The  vote  by  precincts  will  be  of  interest  as  indicating  the  density 
of  population.  It  was  as  follows :  Wayman :  Justice — Asa  W.  Gif- 
ford,  15;  Constable,  Edward  Dickens,  15.  Prairie  la  Porte:  Justice — 
Benjamin  F.  Forbes,  20,  James  Watson,  15,  Dean  Gay,  6,  Patton  Mc- 
Mullen,  I ;  Constable — Abraham  Van  Doren,  15,  Joseph  Read,  3,  John 
W.  Gillett,  I.  Yellow  River:  Justice — Daniel  G.  Beck,  9 ;  Constable — 
James  Jones,  8,  Jud  Barker,  2.  Boardman :  Justice — Elisha  Boardman, 
10,  Horace  D.  Bronson,  10,  John  Downie,  i,  Peter  Wittlewattle,  i ; 
Constable — Elias  Meisner,  9,  Charles  Sawyer,  8.  Wanzer :  Justice — 
P.  P.  Olmstead,  25,  A.  E.  Wanzer,  14,  William  Pigeon,  13,  David 
Olmstead,  12;  Constable — Graham  Thorne,  28,  Richard  Jones,  27,  A. 
E.  Wanzer,  i,  J.  B.  Briggs,  i,  J.  Blazedell,  i.  Millville:  Justice — Jesse 
Briggs,  25,  D.  D.  Walker,  7;  Constable — Nathan  Springer,  27,  John 
Gardener,  22. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  board  in  October,  1842,  the  salary  of  James 
Crawford,  district  attorney,  was  fixed  at  $100  per  year,  and  a  new 
election  precinct  was  created  to  include  the  county  of  Fayette  and  so 
much  of  Clayton  county  lying  within  the  lines  10  miles  distance  and 
running  parallel  with  the  boundaries  of  Fayette.  Elections  were  to  be 
held  at  the  house  of  F.  Wilcock.  In  1843,  Eliphalet  Price  seems  to 
have  had  the  board  all  to  himself.  He  met  and  adjourned  on  six 
different  days,  in  January  and  February,  before  another  member  of  the 
board  met  with  him  and  business  could  be  transacted.  A  financial 
statement  of  the  county  was  made  February  14,  1843.  The  expen- 
ditures from  August  25,  1842,  were  $1,605.24,  prior  indebtedness 
$959.15,  revenue  $1,927.69,  indebtedness  $625.28. 

Founding  of  Jacksonville — 184^ — It  was  in  1843  f^''^^  the  county 
seat  prepared  for  the  first  of  its  many  moves.  The  territorial  legis- 
lature appointed  a  committee  to  locate  the  county  seat  of  Clayton 
county.  The  first  mention  of  this  on  the  county  records  is  as  follows : 
"Ordered  that  the  clerk  be  instructed  to  notify  William  Jones  of  Jack- 
son county  and  Hardin  Newlin  of  Dubuque  county,  that  David  More- 
land,  one  of  the  commissioners  appointed  by  the  legislature  met  at 
Prairie  la  Porte,  the  first  Monday  of  April,  to  relocate  the  county  seat 
of  said  county  and  adjourned  until  the  fourth  Monday  of  the  present 
month  (April)  at  Prairie  la  Porte." 

On  May  22,  the  commissioners  reported  to  the  board  as  follows : 
"Gentlemen:     According  to  an  act  of  the  legislature  assembly  of  the 


CLEARINGS — 184O-1850  67 

territory  of  Iowa,  passed  February  15,  A.  D.  1843,  to  relocate  the 
county  seat  of  Clayton  county :  We,  David  Moreland,  of  Delaware 
county,  and  Hardin  Newlin  of  Dubuque  county,  met  at  the  town  of 
Prairie  la  Porte,  in  said  county,  on  the  first  day  of  ]\lay,  inst.,  and  after 
being  duly  sworn,  proceeded  to  examine  the  situation  of  said  county 
and  the  local  advantages  of  different  sites.  We  have  selected  and 
located  the  seat  of  justice  of  Clayton  county,  territory  of  Iowa,  on  the 
north  80  acres  of  the  S.  E.  Y^  Sec.  18  Town.  93  N.,  range  3  W.  The 
name  of  the  seat  of  justice  of  Clayton  county,  located  as  above,  shall 
be  Jacksonville." 

This  record  is  followed  by  an  indenture  by  which  James  Watson 
donated  the  land  chosen,  to  the  county  on  condition  that  the  proceeds 
of  the  sales  of  said  land  be  used  for  public  buildings  and  for  no  other 
purpose.  Subscriptions  for  the  new  court  house  are  entered  as  fol- 
lows :  James  Watson,  80  acres  of  land ;  John  W.  Gillett,  $50,  in  work ; 
Angus  P.  McDonnell,  $15,  in  work;  Richard  Onl)%  $50,  in  hauling; 
Timothy  Killam,  $10,  in  hauling  and  work ;  George  A.  Whitman,  $50, 
in  work  or  money.  The  territorial  commissioners  were  allowed  $75 
for  their  services  and  James  Watson  was  allowed  $3  for  driving  stakes 
in  the  town  of  Jacksonville.  A  general  election  was  ordered  to  be  held 
at  Jacksonville  the  first  Monday  in  October,  1843,  ^"^  Charles  E.  Ben- 
sell,  Asa  Griswold  and  J.  Watson  were  the  first  election  officers. 
Luther  Patch,  John  Downie  and  Ambrose  Kennedy  were  instructed  to 
appraise  the  town  lots  of  Jacksonville. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  board  at  the  new  county  seat  was  on 
October  2,  1843,  ^'^^'^>  ^t  that  time,  it  was  ordered  that  it  be  publicly 
advertised  that  the  next  term  of  the  district  court  would  be  held  at 
Jacksonville.  The  new  board  which  met  in  October,  1843,  consisted 
of  James  King,  A.  S.  Cooley  and  E.  M.  Barber. 

Probate  Court — During  these  years  the  probate  court  had  com- 
menced to  transact  business.  Although  the  country  was  young,  death 
was  not  unknown  and  estates  though  small  had  to  be  dealt  with. 
Richard  Pearson  was  the  probate  judge,  from  1838  to  1842,  when  he 
was  succeeded  by  Eliphalet  Price.  The  first  estate  administered  was 
that  of  Betsy  Campbell  and  the  first  record  was  dated  October  26,  1840. 
The  next  estate  was  that  of  Thomas  Whishart  and  the  third  that  of 
William  D.  Grant,  one  of  the  first  county  commissioners.  Elisha 
Boardman  was  administrator  of  this  estate  which  seems  to  have  been 
considerable  for  those  days  and  out  of  which  grew  extended  litiga- 
tion. The  estate  of  Henry  Holtzbecker,  who  was  killed,  was  one  of 
the  first  administered  by  Eliphalet  Price.  One  of  the  acts  of  Richard 
Pearson  was  the  appointment  of  David  Lowry  as  guardian  of  a 
half-breed  Winnebago  girl.  In  November,  1841,  Anson  Woodsell  gave 
bond  as  the  first  public  administrator. 

To  give  an  idea  of  values  in  1840  some  of  the  items  of  the 
Thomas  Whishart  estate  are  given.  Claim  situated  on  Turkey  river 
and  the  appurtenances  thereon  erected  and  known  as  Walker's  claim, 
valued  at  $30.  Movables  in  said  house,  $7;  axe,  75c;  2  oxen,  $40;  125 
bushel  potatoes,  in  the  ground,  $12.50;  plow,  $8;  corn  hoe,  50c;  four 
hogs,  $18.  The  inventory  of  the  estate  of  William  G.  Stearns  made  in 
1843  is  also  of  interest  as  showing  values.     Among  the  items  are  the 


68  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

following:  One  horse,  $50;  rifle  gun  and  rigging,  $7;  pair  of  boots, 
$2.50;  ax,  $1;  string  of  bells,  $2.25;  buffalo  skin,  $3;  buck  skin,  50c 
mineral  tools,  $7.35 ;  one  canoe,  $2 ;  one  ferry  boat,  $8.  From  the 
invoices  of  these,  and  other  estates,  it  is  noticeable  that  all  tools  and 
metal  objects  were  of  high  value,  whereas  wood  products  and  agricul- 
tural products  were  cheap.  This  is  found  particularly  in  the  estate  of 
Herman  Graybill,  the  pioneer  of  Prairie  la  Porte,  who  died  January  4, 

1843-    . 

District  Court — The  district  court  also,  under  Judge  Wilson, 
showed  increased  activity.  There  were  numerous  cases  against 
different  individuals  for  illegal  sales  of  liquor  to  the  Indians.  It  seems 
that  the  settlers  had  considerable  sympathy  with  the  violators  of  this 
law  as  convictions  were  difficult  and  the  usual  verdict  of  the  jury  was 
"not  guilty."  The  McGregor's  were  among  those  most  frequently  in 
court  and  the  first  entry  in  the  celebrated  case  involving  the  ownership 
of  the  Giard  grant  was  made  in  June,  1842,  this  being  an  appeal  in  the 
case  of  Thomas  P.  Burnett  and  Alexander  McGregor  vs.  Benjamin 
Blazedell.  The  first  record  of  the  naturalization  of  a  citizen  was  that 
of  John  Downie,  granted  in  June,  1842,  and  the  second  of  William 
Grant.  Christian  Wise  and  Patrick  Uriell  were  naturalized  at  the 
same  term  of  court.  John  Ryan,  George  Humphrey  and  Jacob  F.  Rib- 
man  were  among  those  naturalized  at  this  time  and  Daniel  Weller,  a 
native  of  Germany,  Fox,  a  native  of  "Upper  Canada,"  and  Angus  P. 
McDonnell,  a  native  of  "Lower  Canada,"  were  among  the  first  to 
declare  their  intention  of  becoming  citizens.  In  January,  1843,  Judge 
Wilson  issued  a  writ  of  habeas  corpus  to  Captain  Summers,  com- 
mandant of  the  garrison  at  Fort  Atkinson,  for  three  men  wanted  by 
the  court.  There  must  have  been  considerable  excitement  in  the  county 
when  a  number  of  the  county  officials  were  indicted,  in  1844,  for 
gaming  and  fined  $20  each.  James  Pappin  and  Michael  Uriell  were 
naturalized  in  October,  1844.  The  proceedings  of  the  board  and  of  the 
court  are  practically  all  the  written  history  of  this  period  and  it  is  true 
that  they  but  form  a  skeleton  of  history.  The  records  of  the  com- 
missioners are  filled  largely  with  the  dift'erent  acts  connected  with  the 
laying  out  of  roads.  Many  mistakes  were  made  and  there  were  the 
usual  petitions  for  alterations,  based  largely  on  personal  interests,  and 
every  step  was  attended  by  considerable  overhead  expense,  but,  in  the 
main,  the  commissioners  did  well  and  many  of  the  roads  established  in 
the  40S  are  the  ones  used  today.  The  commissioners  paid  considerable 
attention  to  the  upbuilding  of  the  new  county  seat  at  Jacksonville.  In 
June,  1843,  Eliphalet  Price  is  paid  for  his  services  in  laying  out  the 
town  of  Jacksonville,  and,  in  October,  John  Downie  appraised  the  lots 
of  the  new  town.  In  January,  1844,  the  board  fixed  grocery 
licenses  at  $25  per  annum,  bar  license  connected  with  a  tavern  for  $25, 
and  it  was  ordered  that  no  license  be  issued  for  the  sale  of  liquors 
within  five  miles  of  the  Winnebago  lands.  In  February,  1843,  the 
indebtedness  of  the  county  was  $1,040.99.  At  this  time  the  board  re- 
served lots  at  Jacksonville  for  county  purposes  and  two  lots  were 
donated  to  John  BanfiU.  On  February  15  a  special  meeting  was  held 
to  receive  the  public  buildings  from  James  King,  contractor,  and  he 
was  given  credit  for  $675  and  his  bond  released. 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  69 

Early  Election  Precincts — There  were  six  election  precincts  out- 
lined in  1844,  and  they  were  known  as  Millville,  Jacksonville,  Bloody 
Run,  Yellow  River,  Boardman,  and  Wayman  precincts.  In  1845,  the 
Bemis  precinct  was  created,  including  Lodomillo  and  the  west  half  of 
Elk  township  and  in  1846  the  precinct  of  Guttenberg  was  designated, 
with  elections  to  be  held  at  the  home  of  Christian  Wise. 

A  public  sale  of  lots  at  Jacksonville  was  held  on  the  17th  of  April, 
1844,  and  among  the  purchasers  were  Gerrard  Forbes,  of  Grant  county, 
Wisconsin,  one  lot  for  $21.75 ;  Dan  B.  Barber,  Anson  Rudesell,  Daniel 
D.  Walker,  Charles  Sawyer,  Levi  Dobson,  Thomas  Graybill,  Frederick 
Hertrich,  Charles  Glidden  and  James  M.  Thompson.  The  purchase 
money  was  charged  to  James  King  and  at  the  same  time  a  lot  was 
donated  to  Charles  Guy,  providing  he  would  erect  and  operate  a  black- 
smith shop  for  the  term  of  one  year.  In  August,  a  lot  was  set  apart  for 
cemetery  purposes.  In  October,  a  lot  was  deeded  to  Calvin  Jackson 
and  one  to  Reuben  Noble  and  the  sum  of  $18  for  these  was  charged 
to  the  account  of  John  Banfill,  with  whom  the  board  had  contracted  for 
lathing  and  plastering  the  court  house. 

In  October,  1844,  is  the  first  record  of  a  quarrying  permit,  which 
was  given  to  Abraham  VanDoren,  he  to  pay  three  cents  per  perch  for 
the  rock.  By  June  1845  the  indebtedness  of  the  county  was 
$i,o6o.66i/^. 

BEGINNINGS  OF  GUTTENBERG 

It  was  shortly  prior  to  1845,  that  the  Western  Settlement  Society 
of  Cincinnati,  a  society  which  was  formed  for  the  purpose  of  aiding 
German  immigrants  who  were  leaving  that  country  on  account  of 
the  troublous  times,  bought  land  north  and  south  of  Prairie  la  Porte, 
which  had  been  pre-empted  by  the  county  in  1839.  The  first  party  of 
these  German  settlers  arrived  at  the  new  colony  March  8,  1845,  ^"^ 
consisted  of  Charles  Nieman,  Henry  Telzemeyer,  B.  H.  Overbeck, 
Charles  Trepahne  and  John  Ehrhardt  together  with  their  families. 
Prairie  la  Porte  had  been  deserted  as  the  county  seat  and  there  remain 
there  only  the  old  county  buildings  and  the  old  Graybill  tavern.  It  was 
prior  to  the  coming  of  these  German  pioneers  that  the  county  con- 
tracted with  Christian  Miller,  as  agent  for  the  Settlement  Society,  to 
sell  the  Prairie  la  Porte  tract  for  the  sum  of  $2,000.  This  contract 
was  later  carried  out. 

In  April,  1845,  we  find  reflection  of  the  political  strife  which  was 
stirring  the  nation,  for  at  that  time  the  board  ordered  that  the  names 
of  three  streets  in  Jacksonville  called  Jefferson,  Madison,  and  Jackson 
streets  be  changed  to  Watson,  Rutland  and  Niagara.  Among  the 
orders  of  this  year  is  one  appointing  John  W.  Gillett  as  assessor  to 
fill  vacancy;  one  granting  a  liquor  license  to  Benjamin  F.  Forbes  at 
Jacksonville ;  and  one,  that  Daniel  Walker  still  retain  the  office  of  treas- 
urer until  the  next  general  election.  A  lot  in  Jacksonville  was  donated  to 
John  Tully  to  maintain  a  blacksmith  shop.  At  this  time  a  contract  was 
entered  into  for  the  building  of  a  "gaol"  and  the  following  bids  were 
received:  Alfred  Kiney,  $557;  Benjamin  F.  Forbes,  $385;  Abraham 
Van  Doran,  $500;  David  Clark,  $248.     The  contract  was  awarded  to 


yO  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Clark  and  he  was  to  receive  half  of  his  pay  in  town  lots  and  the 
balance  from  the  sale  of  town  lots. 

The  County  Jail — The  specifications  for  the  jail  were  as  follows: 
On  the  5th  day  of  November,  1845,  the  county  commissioners  resolved 
upon  the  erection  of  a  "public  goal,"  according  to  the  following  speci- 
fications: 'Tt  shall  be  built  of  hewed  square  oak  timber,  laid  close 
together ;  the  walls  are  to  be  one  foot  thick  and  twelve  feet  high ;  the 
room  fourteen  feet  square  in  the  clear  on  the  foundation,  and  nine 
feet  in  the  clear  between  the  floors.  Floors  to  be  laid  with  oak  timber 
one  inch  thick,  and  the  upper  floor  to  have  a  trap  door,  three  feet 
long  and  two  feet  wide ;  the  inside  walls  of  the  lower  room  are  to  be 
planked  with  two-inch  oak  planks  on  the  sides  and  the  bottom  floor  the 
same  way.  These  planks  are  to  be  filled  with  nails  not  more  than  one 
inch  and  a  half  apart ;  to  the  side  next  to  the  wall,  then  spiked  fast  to 
the  wall  with  four-inch  spikes,  the  spikes  not  more  than  fourteen  inches 
apart ;  the  bottom  floor  to  be  finished  in  the  same  way.  There  are  to  be 
two  grates  fourteen  inches  square  to  be  put  in  the  walls  of  the  room  as 
high  as  the  upper  floor  will  admit,  to  be  made  of  one-inch  bar 
iron,  the  frame  of  the  grate  to  be  made  of  heavy  flat  bar  iron ; 
there  is  to  be  left  on  the  frame  of  the  grate,  a  zell,  or  tenant,  of  three 
inches  above  and  below  to  sink  it  in  the  timber,  and  then  to  be  well 
spiked  on  to  the  wall.  The  upper  floor  is  to  be  laid  with  one-inch  plank  ; 
the  trapdoor  is  to  be  made  of  double  two-inch  oak  plank  doubled  and 
riveted  together  with  twenty- four  rivets,  fastened  to  the  floor  by  long, 
strong  staple  hinges,  a  bolt  three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick  to  run 
through  the  floor  riveted  to  the  hinge,  the  hinge  to  extend  across  the 
door,  then  to  fasten  by  two  staples  and  two  substantial  locks,  the 
keys  to  fit  their  own  locks  only.  The  house  is  to  be  sided  up  or  inclosed 
with  good  oak  or  basswood  siding.  It  shall  be  shingled  with  good  oak 
or  pine  of  fourteen  inch  shingles,  not  laid  more  than  four  and  a  half 
inches  to  the  weather.  The  gable  ends  and  roof  are  to  be  close  sheeted 
before  siding  or  shingling.  There  is  to  be  a  good  strong  flight  of  stairs 
to  be  built  on  the  outside  at  one  end,  leading  to  the  door  of  the  gable 
end,  running  by  the  side  with  railing  and  a  platform  to  be  left  at  the 
top  of  the  stairs,  three  feet  square.  The  above  building  is  to  be  well 
underpinned  with  a  stone  wall,  at  least  one  foot  thick ;  the  corner  or  end 
of  each  round  of  timber  is  to  be  pinned  with  one-and-a-half -inch  pins, 
and  the  plates  are  to  be  pinned  in  four  places  in  each  log."  David 
Clark  was  later  given  the  contract  to  fence  the  court  yard  with  a 
fence  to  be  made  of  oak  boards,  one  inch  thick,  the  fence  to  be  five  feet 
high  with  six  boards  and  a  cap.  By  January,  1846,  the  county  debt 
had  grown  to  $2,269.69^/^.  Among  the  curious  documents  are  found 
two  orders  to  the  sheriff  to  notify  individuals  to  leave  the  county. 

At  Garnavillo — 1846 — On  April  15,  1846,  the  following  entry  is 
found  in  the  county  records:  "Whereas,  by  an  act  passed  and  ap- 
proved January  13,  1846,  by  the  council  and  house  of  representatives 
of  the  legislative  assembly  of  the  territory  of  Iowa  authorizing  and 
impowering  the  county  commissioners  of  Clayton  county  to  change  the 
name  of  Jacksonville,  the  county  seat  of  said  county,  by  majority  of 
said  board  and  that  the  name  when  so  changed,  shall  be  and  remain 
the  name  of  said  town.     It  is  therefore  ordered  by  said  board,  unan- 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  7 1 

imously,  that  the  name  of  said  town  of  Jacksonville  shall  be  changed 
to  Garnavillo,  and  hereafter  all  transactions  of  business  with  the  board 
shall  be  dated  at  Garnavillo  as  the  present  county  seat  of  Clayton 
county."  In  August,  1846,  Daniel  D.  Walker  was  elected  treasurer 
and  his  bond  was  approved.  In  September  Joseph  B,  Quigley  and  John 
Downier  qualified  as  county  commissioners,  A.  S.  Cooley  being  the  other 
member  of  the  board.  H.  T.  Lander  was  given  a  lot  in  Garnavillo  for 
services  as  auctioneer  in  "crying  off"  lots  at  the  auction  in  1843  5  ^"^l 
a  second  sale  of  lots  was  ordered. 

Hartge  Murder — In  the  same  month,  October,  1846,  is  found  the 
first  mention  of  Reuben  Noble  as  prosecuting  attorney.  This  was  in 
connection  with  the  trial  of  George  Humphreys  and  an  Indian  named 
Konago  for  the  murder  of  Louis  Hartge.  The  history  of  1882  gives 
the  following  account  of  the  crime:  "Early  in  the  spring  of  1846,  a 
squad  of  Indians  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Elkport,  and  there  camped. 
Among  the  number  was  George  Humphreys  and  Konago,  the  latter 
an  untutored  son  of  the  forest,  the  former  being  possessed  of  a  good 
education  received  in  a  college  at  Alton,  111.,  from  which  institution  he 
had  graduated.  The  wild  and  free  life  of  the  Indian  had  too  many 
charms  for  Humphrey,  and  as  soon  as  he  graduated  from  college  he 
returned  to  his  tribe  and  the  life  of  his  youth.  Like  all  other  Indians, 
this  squad  of  Winnebagoes  was  fond  of  "firewater,"  and,  on  camping, 
they  immediately  went  in  search  of  the  same.  George  Humphrey  and 
Konago  called  at  the  house  of  Lewis  Hartge,  and  made  demand  for 
liquor,  which  was  refused.  A  quarrel  then  ensued,  and  in  the  fracas 
Konago  was  shoved  out  of  the  door,  when  he  immediately  raised  his 
rifle,  and  although  Humphrey  attempted  to  stop  him,  he  shot  Lewis 
Hartge  and  instantly  killed  him.  Humphrey  and  Konago  were 
instantly  arrested,  and  indictment  found  against  them  at  the  May,  1846, 
term  of  court.  The  case  was  called  and  a  change  of  venue  was  asked 
and  granted  to  the  Dubuque  court.  The  trial  subsequently  took  place 
at  Dubuque,  the  Indians  being  prosecuted  by  Stephen  Hemstead  and 
Reuben  Noble,  and  defended  by  Samuel  Murdock  and  Piatt  Smith. 
George  Humphrey  was  acquitted,  and  Konago  convicted.  An  appeal 
was  taken  to  the  supreme  court,  and  pending  the  appeal  Konago 
broke  jail  and  escaped.    He  was  never  afterwards  heard  from." 

In  1843,  certain  Indians,  among  whom  was  Wau  Kon,  were  in- 
dicted for  murder  and  brought  to  the  county  seat  for  trial.  On  account 
of  the  alleged  sentiment  against  them  in  this  vicinity  their  attorney, 
James  Grant,  obtained  a  change  of  venue  to  Dubuque  county.  In  1847 
the  commissioners  allowed  bills  to  the  following  for  "guarding  Indians 
in  1843:"  John  W.  Gillett,  $10.75;  Williard  Knight,  $10;  Charles  Ben- 
sell,  $10;  James  Stevens,  $10;  EH  Carlin,  $10;  William  Oliver,  $6;  L. 
V.  Harris,  $4;  Thomas  Graybill,  $16.50;  Ambrose  Kennedy,  $33.30. 
James  King  was  also  allowed  $65.50  for  "conveying  Indians  from  Fort 
Atkinson  to  Prairie  la  Porte  and  back  to  the  fort,  and  also  conveying 
said  Indians  from  Fort  Atkinson  to  Dubuque." 

In  January,  1847,  ^7  means  of  the  sale  of  real  estate,  the  county 
indebtedness  had  been  reduced  to  $757.50^.  At  the  April  session, 
1847,  Clayton  county  went  "dry,"  and  the  following  order  is  made 
by  the  board :     "Whereas  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  of  the  state  of 


72  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Iowa,  approved  February  i6,  1847,  requiring  the  qualified  electors  in 
each  county  in  this  state  at  the  township  election  to  be  held  on  the 
first  Monday,  the  fifth  day  of  April,  A.  D.  1847,  to  decide  by  vote 
whether  the  county  commissioners  shall  grant  licenses  for  retailing 
intoxicating  liquors  in  their  respective  counties  or  not ;  and,  whereas,  by 
the  returns  of  Clayton  county  from  said  election,  being  this  day  opened 
by  the  board  of  county  commissioners  as  required  by  law,  and  the 
votes  being  duly  canvassed,  that  the  number  of  votes  for  and  against 
license  as  follows,  to  wit :  For  granting  license,  81 ;  against  granting 
license,  207;  leaving  a  majority  for  no  license,  126  votes.  Therefore, 
it  is  ordered  by  said  board  that  the  clerk  is  hereby  instructed  not  to 
issue  permits  or  licenses  for  retailing  intoxicating  liquors  in  said  county 
from  the  date  hereof." 

Ten  Townships  Named — In  1847,  at  the  April  term  of  the  county 
commissioners  court  the  county  was  divided  into  townships  in  order 
that  it  might  avail  itself  of  its  share  of  the  school  fund  of  the  state. 
The  following  is  the  record  of  boundaries : 

Township  No.  i,  Millville — Fractional  township  91  north,  range  i 
and  2  west,  and  fractional  township  91,  range  i  and  2  east. 

Township  No.  2,  Mallory — Township  91  north,  range  3  west,  and 
the  southeast  quarter  of  township  91  north,  range  4  west. 

Township  No.  3,  Lodomillo — The  west  half  of  township  91  north, 
range  4  west,  and  township  91  north,  range  5  and  6  west. 

Township  No.  4,  Hewitt — Township  92  north,  ranges  5  and  6 
west,  with  Fayette  county  attached  thereto,  east  half  of  township  92 
north,  range  5  west,  attached  to  Volga  township. 

Township  No.  5,  Volga — Township  92  north,  range  4  west,  north- 
east quarter  of  township  91  north,  range  4  west,  southwest  quarter  of 
township  92,  range  3  west,  and  the  east  half  of  township  92,  north, 
range  5  west. 

Township  No.  6,  Jefferson — Southeast  quarter  of  township  92 
north,  range  3  west,  and  fractional  townships  92  and  93  north,  range 
2  west. 

Township  No.  7,  Garnavillo — North  half  of  township  92  north, 
range  3  west,  township  93  north,  range  3  west,  the  south  half  of  town- 
ship 94  north,  range  3  west,  and  the  east  half  of  township  93  north, 
range  4  west. 

Township  No.  8,  Boardman — The  west  half  of  township  93  north, 
range  4  west,  township  93  north,  ranges  5  and  6  west,  the  south  half  of 
township  94  north,  range  5  west,  the  southwest  quarter  of  township  94 
north,  range  4  west,  and  the  southeast  quarter  of  township  94  north, 
range  4  west. 

Township  No.  9,  Mendon — The  north  half  of  township  94  north, 
ranges  3,  4  and  5  west,  and  the  south  half  of  township  95  north, 
ranges  3,  4  and  5  west. 

Township  No.  10,  Mononah — The  north  half  of  township  95 
north,  ranges  3,  4  and  5  west,  and  township  96  north,  range  3  west. 

The  voters  of  the  townships  were  notified  that  an  election  would 
be  held  for  township  officers  and  "particularly  for  one  school  inspector 
for  each  township".  On  April  22,  James  A.  McClellan  entered  upon 
bis  duties  as  clerk  of  the  district  court,  giving  a  bond  with  Samuel 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  73 

Murdock  and  Ambrose  Kennedy  as  security.  Reuben  Noble  also  gave 
bond  as  prosecuting  attorney,  Samuel  Murdock  and  Gilbert  Douglas 
signing  his  bond.  The  lots  of  Garnavillo  having  sold  very  well  a  new 
subdivision  was  surveyed  and  placed  on  the  market  by  the  board. 
Robert  R.  Read  was  elected  recorder  in  August,  1847,  and  according  to 
law  he  acted  also  as  treasurer  and  ex-officio  collector. 

In  1848,  the  town  lots  remaining  unsold  at  Garnavillo  were 
ordered  to  be  placed  on  sale,  "lots  to  be  sold  for  county  orders." 
These  lots  were  sold  July  4,  1848,  for  a  total  of  $868.50.  At  this  time 
the  boundaries  of  several  townships  were  altered,  the  east  half  of  town- 
ship 92,  range  5,  was  taken  from  Hewitt  township  and  added  to  Volga, 
and  12  sections  were  taken  from  Garnavillo  and  added  to  Jefferson 
township.  McClellan  remained  in  office  but  a  year  and,  in  August, 
1848,  Frederick  Andros  resumed  his  old  place  as  clerk  of  the  district 
court.  Andrew  S.  Cooley,  James  Tapper  and  John  W.  Potts  consti- 
tuted the  board  for  the  years  1847-48.  The  office  of  school  fund  com- 
missioner had  been  created,  Eliphalet  Price  was  elected  for  that  office 
in  1847  and  re-elected  in  1848  and  1849.  I"  October,  1848,  the  board 
fixed  his  salary  at  $200  per  annum.  This  was  an  important  office  hav- 
ing to  do  with  funds  received  from  the  sale  of  school  lands  and  from 
the  state.  As  a  result  of  the  sale  of  lands  what  was  known,  later,  as 
the  "permanent  school  fund"  was  obtained.  This  fund  was  loaned 
under  the  direction  of  the  auditor,  at  a  later  date,  and  in  many  counties 
was  the  source  of  much  favoritism.  In  1849,  there  seems  to  have  been 
a  change  from  the  rigid  prohibition  attitude  and  a  number  of  "grocery" 
licenses  were  issued.  In  1849,  ^^^o,  a  ferry  license  was  issued  for  a 
ferry  across  the  Mississippi  from  the  town  of  Keeleroy. 

First  County  Seat  Election — 184^.  In  April,  1849,  the  first  of  the 
long  series  of  elections  for  the  relocation  of  the  county  seat  was  held. 
The  vote  was  Garnavillo,  254,  Guttenberg,  177,  Elkader,  113.  No 
town  having  received  a  majority  of  all  votes  cast,  another  election  was 
ordered  to  take  place  in  May.  Elkader  receiving  the  lowest  vote  in 
April,  was  excluded  from  the  May  contest.  The  May  election 
resulted,  Garnavillo,  279;  Guttenberg,  245,  and  it  is  declared  that  Gar- 
navillo "be  and  remain  the  permanent  county  seat." 

It  was  at  this  April  election,  1849,  that  Elkader  made  its  first  bid 
for  the  county  seat.  A  number  of  citizens  agreed  to  contribute  pro- 
viding Elkader  won.  The  following  is  a  list  of  subscriptions: 
Thompson,  Sage  and  Davis  $500,  also  8  lots  to  be  selected  by  county 
commissioners,  lots  valued  at  $30  each ;  E.  G.  Rolf,  $30;  Amos  Warner, 
$50;  H.  D.  Bronson,  $50;  Elisha  Boardman,  $50;  A.  Z.  Fuller,  $10; 
A.  D.  Griswold,  $25;  W.  M.  Keys,  $10;  E.  V.  Carter,  $10;  Adam 
Keen,  $30 ;  A.  G.  Park,  $10 ;  John  Downie,  $10.  January  8,  1850,  upon 
petition  of  William  Alloway  and  others,  the  township  of  Cass  was  cre- 
ated, elections  to  be  held  at  the  home  of  James  Alloway.  The  bound- 
aries of  the  township  were  the  same  as  at  present. 

Some  idea  of  the  credit  rating  of  the  county  is  found  in  the  follow- 
ing entry,  dated  January  9,  1850:  "Whereas  the  county  was  indebted  to 
the  state  the  clerk  was  requested  to  dispose  of  orders  sufficient  to  raise 
the  amount,  according  to  the  instructions  the  clerk  sold  orders  to 
Alonzo  Petton,  of  Prairie  du  Chien,  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars,  for 


74  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

seventy-five  dollars  in  cash."     The  county  indebtedness  at  this  time 
was  $3,412.04!/^. 

In  April,  1850,  on  petition  of  S.  B.  Forbes,  township  94,  range  7, 
was  created  a  township  under  the  name  of  Pleasant  Valley.  This  town- 
ship lay  wholly  within  Fayette  county  and  shows  the  wide  jurisdiction 
held  by  the  commissioners  of  Clayton  county.  At  the  same  session,  a 
road  was  authorized  from  West  Union,  in  Fayette  county,  to 
McGregor's  Landing.  At  this  session,  also,  the  boundaries  of  Jeffer- 
son and  Garnavillo  townships  were  again  changed  and  Garnavillo  was 
made  to  extend  to  the  Mississippi  river.  The  last  minute  recorded  in 
the  old  ledger  which  served  the  county  for  a  dozen  years  is  that  order- 
ing the  payment  of  $20  to  Frank  Emerson  as  advance  payment  for 
assessing  Clayton  county. 

COURTS 

Judge  T.  S.  Wilson  presided  over  the  courts  of  the  county  so  long 
as  Iowa  was  a  territory.  In  1846,  Clayton  was  placed  in  the  second 
judicial  district  together  with  Buchanan,  Cedar,  Clinton,  Delaware, 
Dubuque,  Fayette,  Jackson,  Jones,  Muscatine  and  Scott  counties ; 
Allamakee  and  Winneshiek  were  added  to  this  district  in  1847, 
Black  Hawk,  Bremer,  Butler,  and  Grundy  in  1851,  and  Chickasaw  and 
Howard  in  1853.  Over  all  this  large  territory  Judge  James  Grant  was 
the  presiding  judge.  At  this  time  there  was  not  a  railroad  in  his  entire 
district.  The  journey  from  county  seat  to  county  seat  was  made  over- 
land and  the  judge  was  accompanied  by  a  retinue  of  attorneys  who 
followed  him,  from  point  to  point,  joining  with  the  local  bar  in  the  trial 
of  cases.  The  sessions  of  the  court  were  of  necessity  far  apart.  Judge 
Wilson  held  his  last  term  of  court  here  in  May,  1846,  and  Judge  Grant 
held  his  first  term  in  June,  1847.  The  coming  of  the  court  was,  there- 
fore, a  great  gala  time  for  the  entire  county.  It  was  the  time  to  which 
all  the  attorneys  looked  forward  and  there  was  a  great  clashing  of  wits 
which  was  hugely  enjoyed  by  the  crowds  which  filled  the  rude  benches 
in  the  court  room.  In  those  days  attorneys  were  expected  to  be  com- 
bative. If  they  did  not  display  a  great  degree  of  firey  hatred  for 
opposing  counsel  the  client  felt  that  he  did  not  get  the  worth  of  his 
money.  Every  lawsuit  was  a  battle,  witnesses  were  brow-beaten,  law- 
yers abused  each  other  roundly,  and  addresses  to  the  jury  were  long  and 
fervid.  But,  this  constant  sword-play  of  wits  produced  keen  intellects. 
The  man  who  could  not  thrust  and  parry  had  no  place  at  the  bar,  and 
the  result  was  that  these  backwoods  courts  produced  some  of  the  braini- 
est lawyers  this  country  has  ever  known.  Abraham  Lincoln  must  for- 
ever stand  as  the  highest  product  of  these  old  time  courts ;  but  in  this 
county  they  produced  such  men  as  Reuben  Noble,  Samuel  Murdock, 
Elias  H.  Williams,  J.  O.  Crosby,  Thomas  Updegafif,  Eliphalet  Price, 
L.  O.  Hatch,  John  F.  Stoneman,  and  many  others.  During  these  court 
sessions  lodgings  were  at  a  premium  at  the  little  county  seat  town. 
There  were  grand  jurors,  and  petit  jurors,  litigants  and  witnesses.  The 
judge  had  the  best  room  at  the  tavern,  which,  after  the  court  had 
adjourned  was  the  scene  of  many  jovial  parties.  Outside  of  the  court 
room  and  court  hours,  the  pioneers  indulged  in  good  natured  horse 
play  and  tests   of  strength.     Sometimes  embittered  litigants  carried 


CLEARINGS — 184O-185O  75 

their  troubles  outside  and  there  were  fistic  encounters  which  called  for 
more  work  by  the  courts.  Prisoners  were  not  pampered  in  those  days, 
anyone  reading  the  specifications  for  the  county  jail  will  note  that  it 
was  simply  a  strong  box,  built  solely  for  security,  without  provision  for 
sanitation  and  with  almost  no  provisions  for  light  and  air.  Prisoners 
were  manacled  with  heavy  home-made  irons,  fit  to  have  chained  an 
elephant.  Sometimes,  the  chains  were  riveted  to  the  floor.  They  were 
taken  to  and  from  the  court  room  in  chains  and  these  were  worn  on  the 
long  overland  journeys  to  the  penitentiary  at  Fort  Madison  where  the 
cells  were  little  less  than  tombs.  Court  week  was  a  great  time  for  the 
merchants  of  the  county  seat,  for  men  from  fifty  miles  around  were 
there  and  there  was  much  buying  to  be  done. 

Judge  James  Grant — Judge  Grant  was  of  southern  origin  and  is 
described  as  having  a  broad  forehead  and  small  features,  he  was  fond 
of  outdoor  sports  and  was  a  great  student  of  the  classics,  as  well  as  of 
law.  It  is  stated  that  he  left  the  south  because  he  did  not  wish  to  live 
in  a  slave  state.  He  came  to  Iowa,  in  1838,  after  having  acted  as  prose- 
cuting attorney  for  the  sixth  district  of  Illinois.  In  1841,  he  was  a 
member  of  the  House  of  Representatives  in  the  Iowa  territorial  legis- 
lature, and  was  a  member  of  both  the  first  and  the  second  constitutional 
conventions.  Governor  Chambers  appointed  him  as  prosecuting  attor- 
ney and  under  the  state  constitution  he  was  elected  judge,  which  office 
he  held  for  five  years.  His  subsequent  life  was  spent  at  Davenport  and 
he  was  one  of  the  prominent  jurists  of  the  state. 

COUNTY  IN  1850 

With  this  we  may  close  the  history  of  the  county's  development 
up  to  1850.  We  have  seen  the  beginning  of  things.  Guttenberg,  under 
the  direction  of  the  Western  Settlement  Company  had  become  a  strong 
and  vigorous  German  settlement,  the  most  important  town  along  the 
Mississippi  between  Dubuque  and  Prairie  du  Chien.  Coming  direct 
from  the  old  country  the  Germans  brought  with  them  their  language 
and  customs  and  Guttenberg  seemed  like  a  bit  of  the  old  world,  dropped 
into  the  very  center  of  the  new.  On  account  of  the  difference  in  lan- 
guage, these  people  had  as  yet  little  in  common  with  the  balance  of  the 
county.  The  great  melting-pot  of  Americanism  was  at  work,  but  up 
to  that  time  the  process  had  been  slow  and  the  Germans  were  as  sus- 
picious of  the  strangs  customs  of  America  as  the  Americans  were  of  the 
peculiar  ways  of  the  "foreigners." 

Garnavillo  was  a  typical,  inland,  county  seat  town.  It  was  fos- 
tered and  boomed  by  the  county.  At  that  time,  when  there  were  no 
railroads,  it  was  on  a  par  with  every  other  town,  and  while  not  in  the 
center  of  the  county  it  was  in  the  center  of  population.  It  was  located, 
and  is  today  in  one  of  the  finest  and  most  prosperous  agricultural  sec- 
tions in  all  Iowa  and  it  is  this  which  makes  it  unique  as  the  most  pros- 
perous inland  town  in  Iowa,  today. 

Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  Indians  still  ranged,  freely,  in  the  north 
part  of  the  county,  the  settlement  of  that  portion  was  retarded.  Up  to 
1850,  McGregor  contained  but  a  few  buildings.  Although  the  first 
ferry  was  established  by  Alexander  McGregor  in  1836  it  was  still  little 


76  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

more  than  a  landing.  Elkader  was  but  a  few  years  old.  It  grew  up 
around,  and  because  of,  the  excellent  water  power  and  the  building  of 
the  mill.  John  Thompson,  Chester  Sage  and  Timothy  Davis  had  the 
town  laid  out  in  1845.  They  built  a  dam  and  erected  the  largest  mill 
in  the  county.  This  made  Elkader  a  good  market  place  and  gradually 
attracted  merchants,  blacksmiths  and  wagon-makers.  Backed  by  men 
of  enterprise  and  capital,  it  had  a  vigorous  growth  and,  as  we  have 
seen,  in  1849,  ^^  was  a  contender  for  county  seat  honors. 

The  other  post  offices  in  the  county  were  more  of  the  nature  of 
settlements  than  of  towns.  The  pioneers  were  beginning  to  cluster 
together  for  the  advantage -of  schools  and  sociability.  Along  the  edge 
of  the  Indian  territory  there  was  an  undesirable  class  of  citizens. 
Liquor  traffic  with  the  Indians  was  very  tempting  as  it  offered  large 
profits,  for  the  Indians  were  willing  to  part  with  valuable  government 
stores  for  the  sake  of  a  little  of  the  forbidden  fire-water.  The  whiskey 
venders  crowded  as  near  the  five-mile  limit  as  possible  and  the  border 
was  the  scene  of  considerable  outlawry.  Sodom  and  Gomorrah  were 
two  saloons  situated  near  the  present  town  of  Hardin,  in  Monona  town- 
ship, and  it  is  said  that  they  fully  lived  up  to  their  names.  For  some 
time  this  neighborhood  was  supposed  to  harbor  a  nest  of  counterfeiters. 
As  soon,  however,  as  the  Indians  were  removed  and  the  country  opened 
for  settlement,  the  character  of  the  population  changed;  the  outlaw 
followed  his  prey,  the  Indian,  and  the  earnest,  honest  pioneer  took  pos- 
session of  the  land. 


HON.  JOSEPH   EIBOECK  HON.  THOMAS  UPDEGRAFF 

LEFT    TO    RIGHT— JUDGE    REUBEN   NOBLE, 

JUDGE   SAMUEL   MURDOCK, 

JUDGE     E.     H.     WILLIAMS, 

JUDGE   ELIPHALET   PRICE 

HON.  SAMUEL  MERRILL  HON.  TIMOTHY  DAVIS 


CHAPTER  IV 


PROGRESS  AND  POVERTY— 1850- 1860 

LAST    COUNTY    COMMISSIONERS — COUNTY    JUDGES — JUDGE    WILLIAMS 

FIRST  NEWSPAPER — VIEW  OF  COUNTY,  1853 — BUENA  VISTA — MC- 
GREGOR—  GUTTENBERG  —  CLAYTON  —  GARNAVILLO — VOLGA  CITY — ELK- 
PORT —  MILLVILLE — MONONA — ELKADER — RIVER  TRAFFIC  —  BUSINESS 
CONDITIONS IMMIGRATION FIRST  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY  —  ELEC- 
TION   OF    1853 — ^MCGREGOR'S    PROSPERITY — BUSY    GUTTENBERG LEAD 

MINING MAILS — PIONEER    MAIL    CARRIER — DESCRIPTION    OF    COUNTY 

BRIDGE  BUILDING PROSPEROUS  YEARS — MORE  BRIDGE  CONTROVERSIES 

POLITICAL  AFFAIRS — ANNALS  OF   1854 — ANTI-SLAVERY  AGITATION — 

FIRST     RESOLUTIONS — GRAND     MEADOW     MEETING CURRENT     EVENTS 

AND  COUNTY  IMPROVEMENTS,   1854 — FIRST  COUNTY  FAIR MARTS  AND 

MARKETS — CLAYTON    A    STATE    POWER — NOBLE's    IMPORTANT    ROLE 

APPROACH  OF  HARD  TIMES — ELKADER  WINS  COUNTY  SEAT — READ  AND 
MORASSER  TOWNSHIPS EVENTS  OF  1856 FIELD  OF  BUSINESS — DU- 
BUQUE   VIEW    OF    CLAYTON — ^MCGREGOR    AND    "tHE    TIMES" — COUNTY 

POLITICS — FIRST       STEAM       FERRY EARLY       HISTORY      OF      MCGREGOR 

JUDGE    ELIPHALET    PRICE — RAILROAD    PROJECTS GUTTENBERG    THE 

COUNTY  SEAT — HARD  TIMES — RAILROAD  REACHES  RIVER — MC  GREGOR's 
FIRST  CITY  ELECTION — CLOUDED  MCGREGOR  TITLES — COMING  OF  NOR- 
WEGIANS— POLITICS  IN  1857 — HARD  TIMES  REACH  MCGREGOR — EVENTS 
OF  1858 — THIRD  COUNTY  SEAT  FIGHT — INDIANS  AT  MCGREGOR — RIVER 

PIRATES    CAPTURED POLITICAL    UNREST TRIP    THROUGH     COUNTY 

ELECTION    OF    1858 CLAYTON    COUNTY    JOURNAL — GOLD   DISCOVERY 

FIRST  teachers'  INSTITUTE YEAR  BOOK  OF  1859 GARNAVILLO  AGAIN 

COUNTY  SEAT POLITICS APPROACH  OF  WAR. 

THE  decennial  period  from  1850  to  i860  was  one  of  varied  for- 
tunes for  the  pioneer.  The  first  years  were  boom  years,  immi- 
grants both  from  the  eastern  states  and  from  foreign  countries 
rushed  to  the  county  by  the  hundreds ;  traffic  on  the  Mississippi  was  the 
heaviest  it  ever  was  and,  possibly,  ever  will  be.  The  towns  of  Gutten- 
berg,  Clayton  and  McGregor  became  important  points,  not  for  this 
county  alone  but  for  all  northern  Iowa.  Owing  to  the  wildcat  cur- 
rency, money  was  plenty  and  prices  were  inflated.     The  outstretching 


78  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

fingers  of  railroads  were  drawing  nearer  and  nearer  and  the  possibility 
of  the  future  appealed  strongly  to  the  imagination  and  led  to  an  era  of 
speculation.  The  reaction  came  during  the  later  years  of  this  period. 
The  wild  cat  money  became  almost  valueless  and  this  carried  with  it 
an  uncertainty  and  destruction  of  values  which  paralyzed  all  industry. 
These  were  among  the  hardest  days  the  county  has  ever  known.  They 
were  also  days  of  great  political  unrest  and  fierce  partisan  strife.  The 
old  Whig  party  broke  up  and  disappeared  to  be  replaced  by  the 
Republican  party.  The  question  of  slavery  became  a  vital  issue  divid- 
ing the  people  of  even  this  northern  county.  The  Abolitionist,  the 
Free  Soiler  and  the  Know  Nothing  flourished  in  these  days.  The  begin- 
nings of  secession  stirred  the  nation  and  it  was  the  time  when  the  pas- 
sions were  aroused  which  made  the  Civil  War  inevitable.  These  great 
events  of  the  coming  years  were,  mercifully,  concealed  from  the  pio- 
neers and  they  entered  upon  the  year  1850  with  bold  courage  and  high 
confidence,  pursuing  the  every  day  work  with  assurance  of  success. 

LAST  COMMISSIONERS 

These  were  the  last  years  under  the  county  commission  system,  the 
minutes  of  the  board  showing  but  little  of  interest.  In  1850  Joseph 
Hewitt  took  the  place  of  J.  W.  Potts  on  the  board,  and  the  entries  have 
to  deal  largely  either  with  matters  of  new  roads  or  with  the  ordinary 
expense  bills  of  the  county.  The  first  order  for  the  sale  of  land  for 
delinquent  taxes  was  made  in  January,  185 1.  One  of  the  last  acts  of 
the  commissioners  was  to  fix  the  tax  levy  for  1851  and  with  this  and  a 
few  other  minor  entries  the  old  commission  went  out  of  existence,  on 
July  28,  185 1. 

County  Judges — Under  the  new  law,  adopted  by  the  legislature,  in 

1850,  the  county  judge  held  the  most  important  office  ever  intrusted  to 
one  man  in  the  history  of  an  Iowa  county.  He  took  the  place  of  the 
county  commissioners  and  of  the  probate  judge,  and  had  jurisdiction 
in  many  matters  which  did  not  rise  to  the  dignity  of  the  district  court. 
The  county  judge  was  the  sole  arbiter  as  to  all  the  questions  which  had 
come  before  the  commissioners,  he  settled  with  county  officers  and  was 
in  fact  responsible  for  the  entire  conduct  of  county  aft'airs.  In  such 
a  position  it  was  of  the  greatest  importance  that  the  officer  be  a  man  of 
the  highest  integrity,  and  Clayton  county  was  indeed  fortunate  in  this 
respect.  Elias  H.  Williams  was  the  first  county  judge.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Eliphalet  Price  who  was  followed  in  turn  by  O.  W.  Crary 
and  John  Garber,  and  all  of  these  men  distinguished  themselves  for 
their  honesty  and  ability  and  were,  for  many  years  after  their  incum- 
bency of  this  office,  among  the  county's  most  distinguished  and  honored 
citizens. 

JUDGE  WILLIAMS 

The  first  official  act  of  Judge  Williams  under  date  of  August  13, 

1851,  is  an  order  to  the  sheriff  to  give  bond  for  $5,000.  The  judge  was 
the  great  matrimonial  bureau  of  the  county  and  it  speaks  well  for  the 
growth  of  the  county  that,  between  August  13  and  October  6,  185 1,  he 
issued  no  less  than  16  marriage  licenses.     In  1852  expense  bills  were 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  79 

allowed  for  surveying  roads  from  Anamosa  to  Garnavillo  and  from 
Quasqueton  to  the  north  boundaries  of  the  state  of  Iowa.  The  settle- 
ment for  election  expenses  for  the  April  election,  1852,  shows  the 
following  townships,  Sperry,  Monona,  Boardman,  Mallory,  Cass, 
Mendon,  Jefferson,  Volga,  Millville,  and  Lodomillo,  and  it  was  ordered 
by  the  judge  that  Elkader  be  attached  to  Boardman  township  for  elec- 
tion purposes.  In  March,  1853,  the  county  judge  announces  the  bound- 
aries of  the  townships  as  follows:  Mendon,  including  what  is  now 
Giard  and  all  of  Mendon  in  township  95,  range  3 ;  Monona,  the  present 
townships  of  Monona  and  Grand  Meadow;  Wagner,  present  townships 
of  Wagner  and  Marion ;  Farmersburg,  present  township  and  south  part 
of  Mendon  and  north  half  of  Clayton,  Garnavillo,  townships  93,  Yz 
and  ^  of  4  which  would  include  parts  of  what  are  now  Jefferson, 
Clayton,  Garnavillo  and  Read  townships;  Boardman,  west  ^  of 
Boardman  and  Highland;  Sperry,  west  ^  of  Cox  Creek  and  Sperry; 
Volga,  east  3^  of  Cox  Creek  and  Volga;  Jefferson,  township  92,  range 
2  and  3,  which  would  be  the  same  as  at  present  except  two  north  tiers 
of  sections  and  with  one  tier  added  to  the  west ;  Buena  Vista,  same  as 
at  present ;  Millville,  same ;  Mallory,  same  as  present  and  east  J/2  of 
Elk  township;  Lodomillo,  west  ^  of  Elk  and  Lodomillo;  Cass  as  at 
present. 

FIRST  NEWSPAPER 

In  1853,  Clayton  county  took  a  long  step  in  advance  when  its  first 
newspaper  "The  Clayton  County  Herald"  was  published  in  Garnavillo, 
Jan.  28.  It  was  a  four-page,  six-column,  paper  and,  being  published 
before  the  day  either  of  ready  prints  or  of  stereotype  plates,  all  of  the 
reading  matter  was  set  at  home.  Despite  the  many  difficulties,  the 
scarcity  of  exchanges,  the  lack  of  facilities  and  the  ever  present  pov- 
erty which  harassed  these  early  publishers,  the  pioneer  newspapers 
were  excellent.  They  give  to  the  history  of  the  county  that  intimate 
touch  of  friendly  relationship  which  is  absent  from  the  cold-blooded 
official  record.  This  first  paper  was  published  by  H.  S.  Granger,  who 
came  to  Garnavillo  from  Ohio  in  1850.  He  studied  law  under  Judge 
Murdock  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1851.  He  began  the  pub- 
lication of  the  Herald,  in  1853,  ^"d  continued  with  the  paper  for  a  year 
and  a  half,  when  he  sold  to  A.  W.  Drips.  Mr.  Granger  was  school 
fund  commissioner  from  1852  to  1855.  He  moved  to  McGregor  in 
1856,  was  taken  with  the  gold  fever  in  i860  and  made  a  prospecting  trip 
to  Colorado.  Three  days  before  his  return  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the 
district  court,  which  office  he  held  for  twelve  years,  making  his  home 
at  Elkader. 

The  first  page  of  these  pioneer  papers  was  devoted  to  literary 
matter,  which  consisted  of  verses,  short  stories  and  the  most  blood- 
curdling accounts  of  murders  and  accidents.  No  matter  how  important 
the  news  it  was  seldom  given  a  place  on  the  first  page.  One  reason 
for  this  was  that  the  presses  used  would  print  but  two  pages  at  a 
time,  the  process  of  printing  was  slow,  and,  as  it  was  customary  to 
print  the  outside  first,  it  was,  necessarily,  several  days  older  than  the 
inside  pages.  Newspapers  were  scarce  and  furnished  almost  the  only 
reading  matter  which  reached  the  homes.    The  editors  were  bitter  par- 


80  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

tisans,  and  abused  each  other  as  roundly  in  their  columns,  as  the  law- 
yers abused  each  other  in  court.  At  the  same  time  they  were  friends 
at  heart  and  had  much  fellow  feeling.  It  was  not  uncommon  for  an 
editor  to  call  another  editor  a  rascal  or  worse  in  one  issue,  and  to  style 
him  "our  esteemed  friend"  in  the  next.  Obviously  there  was  but 
little  local  news  in  a  village  of  the  size  of  Garnavillo  in  1853,  ^^^  the 
means  of  getting  news  from  other  parts  of  the  county  was  limited. 
The  surprise  is  that  these  papers  were  so  good ;  coming  in  many  ways 
up  to  present  standards.  Editorial  was  given  much  more  prominence 
than  it  is  today  and  the  pioneer  papers  of  Iowa  exerted  a  tremendous 
influence  throughout  the  state.  The  day  of  modern  display  advertising 
had  not  come  and  advertisements  were  uniformly  of  single-column 
width  and,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  lines  of  black  type,  were  set 
in  the  ordinary  type  of  the  paper.  It  was  also  before  the  day  of  so- 
called  advertising  ethics,  and  newspapers  published,  freely,  advertise- 
ments which  would  not  now  be  allowed  in  print ;  these  included  lot- 
teries, patent  nostrums  and  the  wildest  kind  of  fakes.  The  first  issue 
of  the  Herald  contains  the  professional  cards  of  Samuel  Murdock, 
Reuben  Noble,  E.  H.  Williams,  lawyers ;  Andros  and  Linton,  doctors ; 
also  the  card  of  the  Western  Hotel;  of  R.  C.  Drips,  Justice  of  the 
Peace ;  of  Drips  and  Holladay,  blacksmiths,  and  of  Clark  and  Rogers, 
warehouse  men  in  Clayton.  The  Garnavillo  Cash  Store,  D.  G.  Rogers, 
proprietor,  announces  that  he  sells  as  cheap  if  not  cheaper  than  any 
one  else  and  (in  italics)  "the  river  towns  not  excepted."  Mr.  Rogers 
also  announces  that  he  takes  daguerreotypes  with  neatness  and  dis- 
patch. E.  P.  Atkins,  advertises  many  patent  medicines  and  his  stock 
of  general  merchandise  and  there  are  lengthy  exchange  advertise- 
ments for  such  publications  as  the  Saturday  Evening  Post,  Godey's 
Lady's  Book  and  Graham's  Magazine.  There  is  but  one  local  item 
in  this  first  newspaper  and  that  is  concerning  a  young  man,  name  not 
given,  who  was  killed  by  a  falling  tree  while  chopping  wood  near 
Millville.  Notices  of  two  lodges  are  given,  the  Odd  Fellows,  with  H. 
S.  Granger,  E.  Hurd,  R.  Noble  and  R.  R.  Read  as  officers  and  the  Sons 
of  Temperance,  headed  by  T.  G.  Drips  and  L.  Angier. 

The  postal  news  shows  mail  twice  a  week,  from  Dubuque  to  Garna- 
villo, and  from  Garnavillo  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Also  weekly  mails 
from  Garnavillo  to  Hardin  and  from  Patch  Grove,  Wisconsin,  to 
Garnavillo.  The  southern  mail,  from  Tipton  to  Prairie  du  Chien  via 
Anamosa,  Delhi,  Elkader  and  Garnavillo  arrived  on  Sunday,  from 
Tipton,  and  returned  on  Monday  from  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  county 
officers  are  given  as  follows :  Elias  H.  Williams,  county  judge ;  Robert 
R.  Read,  recorder  and  treasurer;  Dr.  F.  Andros,  clerk;  S.  Murdock, 
school  fund  commissioner;  Joseph  McSperrin,  supervisor;  Ezra  Hurd, 
surveyor ;  Thomas  Drips,  sheriff ;  O.  F.  Stevens,  attorney. 

Succeeding  issues  contain  advertisements  of  B.  S.  Forbes'  Cash 
Store,  at  Garnavillo,  the  New  York  Store,  kept  by  Thomas  Cole  & 
Bros.,  at  Colesburg;  H.  D.  Evans,  general  merchandise  at  McGregor's 
Landing.  The  pages  are  enlivened  by  a  lengthy  debate  between  Mur- 
dock and  Professor  Craig,  relative  to  "Mind  and  Matter,"  and  Pro- 
fessor Craig  also  contributes  lengthy  series  of  articles  on  geology  and 
spiritualism.     Very  naturally,  the  new  paper  dwells  at  considerable 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  8 1 

length  upon  Clayton  county  and  its  various  communities.  No  better 
picture  of  the  county  as  it  was  in  1853  could  be  given  than  is  presented 
by  these  articles  which  are  quoted,  at  length. 

CLAYTON   COUNTY ITS  RESOURCES  AND  ITS  PROSPECTS 

This  county  contains  an  area  of  792  square  miles  or  506,880  acres. 
On  the  first  of  January,  1853,  there  were  about  431,880  acres  purchased 
from  government  and  about  75,000  remaining  unsold.  According  to 
the  best  information  we  have  been  able  to  obtain,  there  is  not  over  one- 
tenth  part  of  the  purchased  land  which  is  now  under  cultivation.  This 
makes  43,180  acres,  leaving  a  balance  in  the  county  of  463,692  acres  as 
yet  uncultivated.  Deduct  from  the  total  amount  one-fifth  part  for 
waste  and  timber  land — which  we  think  quite  sufficient,  in  as  much  as 
the  timber  lands  compose  a  large  portion  of  what  is  now  denominated 
waste  land — and  we  have  left,  405,504  acres  of  arable  land,  or  nearly 
ten  times  the  amount  now  under  cultivation.  The  present  population 
of  the  county  is  at  least  7,000,  being  an  increase  in  the  last  two  years  of 
78  per  cent,  or  36  per  cent  per  annum.  We  can  hardly  expect  this 
increase  of  population  to  continue  for  the  next  ten  years ;  but  suppose 
it  amounts  to  25  per  cent,  on  the  average,  our  population  will  amount 
on  the  first  day  of  January,  1863,  to  nearly  25,000,  equal  to  double  the 
present  population  of  Dubuque  county,  city  inclusive.  We  learn  that 
the  surplus,  in  wheat  alone,  for  the  last  year,  will  not  be  less  than  40,000 
bushels,  or  8,000  barrels  of  flour.  Assuming  then,  that  our  former 
calculation  is  correct,  and  we  shall  have  a  surplus,  in  the  article  of 
wheat  alone,  of  400,000  bushels,  when  all  the  land  is  once  under  cul- 
tivation. Adding  at  least  one-half  for  superior  culture,  and  we  have 
a  surplus  of  600,000  bushels,  or  120,000  barrels.  As  a  large  portion  of 
the  county  is  well  adapted  to  growing  stock,  there  is  no  doubt  but  the 
future  surplus  will  consist  more  of  beef,  pork,  horses,  sheep,  etc.,  and 
less  of  the  one  article  (wheat)  which  now  forms  almost  the  entire 
article  of  export.  We  nearly  overlooked  the  fact  that  there  will  be 
some  15,000  or  20,000  bushels  of  oats  and  as  much  corn  sent  away  in 
the  coming  spring.  Our  water  power  is  abundant  and  of  the  best 
quality;  and  our  timber  will  compare  favorably  with  any  portion  of 
the  west. 

There  is,  perhaps,  no  county  in  the  state  which  possesses  more 
manufacturing  advantages  than  this.  Turkey  river,  which  meanders 
the  county  from  northwest  to  southeast,  will  furnish  (when  the 
capital  and  business  of  the  country  will  warrant  its  improvement)  an 
almost  unlimited  water  power.  There  are  also  several  important 
branches  putting  into  said  river,  which  furnish  water  power  but  little 
inferior  to  the  main  stream.  Several  mills  have  been  already  erected, 
and  others  are  being  built  on  the  main  river  and  its  tributaries ;  but 
we  shall  speak  more  particularly  of  these  under  the  head  of  Towns 
and  Villages.  In  the  east  and  northeastern  portions  of  the  county 
are  several  smaller  streams  upon  which  a  number  of  mills  have  been 
erected,  and  an  abundance  of  power  remains  unimproved.  Our  com- 
mercial advantages  are  at  least  inferior  to  no  other  county  in  the  state, 
except  it  may  be  Lee  county.     The  Mississippi  river — which  forms 


82  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  great  natural  commercial  channel  for  our  exports  and  imports — 
washes  our  entire  eastern  boundary,  upon  the  western  shore  of  which 
are  already  situated  four  enterprising  and  rapidly  growing  towns. 
These  towns  must,  at  no  distant  day,  necessarily,  furnish,  in  a  great 
measure,  the  commercial  exchanges,  not  only  for  this,  but  for  the 
contiguous  counties,  especially  those  in  a  western  direction.  And  here 
we  would  call  the  attention  of  these  counties,  not  only  directly  west 
of  us,  but  of  those  also  in  a  southwest  direction  to  the  fact  that  they 
are  several  miles  nearer  the  Mississippi  river  in  this  county  than 
at  any  other  point.  For  instance:  Independence,  in  Buchanan  county, 
is  t\venty-five  miles  nearer  the  river  at  Guttenberg,  Clayton  or  Mc- 
Gregor than  at  Dubuque.     But  we  are  digressing. 

Our  prospects  are  soon  to  brighten  by  the  completion  of  the  rail- 
road to  the  Mississippi  river,  opposite  Dubuque,  when  we  shall  be  in 
direct  communication  with  the  eastern  markets.  This  will  not  only 
add  largely  to  the  emigration  here,  but  will  furnish  a  larger  scope  for 
our  surplus  produce,  etc.  We  learn  from  an  authentic  source  that  the 
Milwaukee  and  Mississippi  road  has  now  fixed  its  western  terminus 
opposite  Dubuque.  Undoubtedly  the  present  policy  of  the  company 
dictated  the  precise  course  which  has  been  pursued,  otherwise  their 
wisdom  would  have  sought  a  different  location;  but  that  the  wants 
of  this  portion  of  the  state  and  the  western  portion  of  Wisconsin  will 
at  no  distant  day  call  for  a  road  commencing  not  over  twenty-five 
miles  either  above  or  below  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river,  and 
thence  running  east  to  connect  either  with  the  Milwaukee  road  at 
Madison,  or  the  Chicago  road  through  the  Jaynesville,  Beloit  and 
Belvidere  road,  appears  to  us  as  absolutely  certain.  This  once  com- 
pleted, and  ten  hours'  ride  will  bring  us  to  either  Milwaukee  or 
Chicago,  and  two  and  a  half  days  to  New  York,  Boston,  Philadelphia 
or  Washington  City. 

Tozvns  in  i8j^ — After  this  glowing  discription  of  the  county  as 
a  whole  the  early  numbers  of  the  Herald  give  descriptions  of  the 
various  towns  of  the  county.    These  are  as  follows : 

Buena  Vista — This  town  is  situated  on  the  Mississippi  river  in  the 
southeast  part  of  the  county.  It  was  laid  out  October  31,  1848,  by 
William  H,  Stevens,  who  subsequently  sold  it  to  H.  H.  Day,  the  present 
proprietor. 

Francis  Cole,  of  Colesburg,  a  flourishing  inland  town  situated  in 
Delaware  county,  erected  the  first  frame  building  at  Buena  Vista, 
which  was  used  for  a  store  house ;  but  owing  to  the  sparse  settlements 
in  its  immediate  vicinity,  the  town  did  not  improve  much  until  the 
summer  of  1851.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1851,  William  H.  Stevens 
and  Tobias  Walker  accidentally  discovered  a  vein  of  lead  ore  just 
back  of  the  town,  which  soon  changed  the  scene  to  a  kind  of  second 
California.  Miners  flocked  in  from  all  directions,  and  steam  boats, 
which  rarely  called  at  the  place  before,  were  now  loaded  with  miners, 
merchants,  mechanics,  speculators  and  pickpockets,  all  in  search  of  the 
almighty  dollar.  The  town,  which  before  only  contained  a  population 
of  about  a  dozen  more  or  less,  now  (1851)  numbered  about  five 
hundred — the  price  of  fare  varying  according  to  the  size  of  the  tree 
against  which,  if  you  were  lucky  enough  to  be  in  season,  you  might 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-I860  83 

lean  at  night.  On  the  first  of  October,  1851,  Messrs.  Brady,  Lubeck 
and  others,  laid  out  an  addition  to  the  town,  called  Upper  Buena 
Vista.  Lots  sold  at  enormous  rates,  and  the  town  improved  in  a  rapid 
manner.  On  the  twenty-second  of  June,  1852,  Charles  Brady  laid  out 
another  addition,  called  Middle  Buena  Vista.  After  the  first  excite- 
ment incident  to  such  mining  towns  was  over,  the  place  continued  to 
improve ;  business  settled  down  into  its  proper  channels,  and  the  town 
at  this  time  is  in  a  prosperous  and  flourishing  condition.  Chauvette, 
Day  and  Little,  we  believe,  have  the  principal  leads  at  this  time.  What 
yield  of  mineral  they  are  getting  we  do  not  know,  but  should  like  to 
be  posted  up  on  this  and  any  other  matters  relative  to  the  place,  by 
some  one  of  its  citizens  who  may  feel  an  interest  in  doing  it. 

McGregor — This  town  is  situated  in  the  northeastern  portion  of 
this  county,  on  the  Mississippi  river,  and  directly  opposite  Prairie  du 
Chien.  It  has  been  long  known  as  a  point  for  storing  government 
supplies  destined  for  Fort  Atkinson,  and  goods  for  the  Indian  traders, 
up  to  the  time  the  Winnebago  Indians  were  removed  to  Crow  Wing 
river,  in  Minnesota  Territory.  The  town  was  surveyed  in  the  summer 
of  1846,  but  like  most  of  the  towns  in  this  county,  did  not  improve 
very  much  previous  to  the  year  1850.  Since  that  time  the  improve- 
ments have  been  of  that  steady  and  firm  character  which  characterize 
all  our  river  towns,  and  argue  well  for  their  future  prosperity.  The 
road  from  McGregor  to  Fort  Atkinson  (distance  49  miles)  follows 
one  unbroken  divide,  or  ridge  of  land,  and  in  natural  advantages 
probably  is  not  surpassed  by  any  route  in  northern  Iowa  of  the  same 
length.  Nature  formed  the  road,  leaving  man  but  little  to  do  beyond 
appropriating  the  same  to  his  own  use  and  behoof  forever.  The  town 
has  a  good  steamboat  landing,  and  has  several  stores,  which  are  doing 
a  good  business.  H.  D.  Evans  (whose  card  will  be  found  in  our 
columns)  is  doing  a  large  business,  and  also  wholesaling  a  considerable 
amount  to  the  back  country.  We  believe  there  are  two  public  houses  at 
this  place,  and  a  steam  saw-mill  being  erected,  together  with  several 
mechanic  shops  of  the  different  trades,  etc.,  etc.  On  the  whole  the 
town  is  in  a  thriving  condition,  and  no  doubt  is  destined  to  reach  a 
position  far  beyond  the  speculations  of  the  can'ts  and  standstills,  who 
wonder  if  that  fine  edifice  just  erected  is  not  the  last  which  will  ever 
be  built,  or  if  the  last  discovery  in  science  or  the  mechanic  arts  is  not 
the  ultimatum  of  human  perfection. 

Giittenhiirg — This  town,  which  was  formerly  called  Prairie  la 
Porte,  (meaning  Door  of  the  Prairie)  is  situated  on  the  west  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  in  Town.  92  north,  range  3  west.  The  prairie 
upon  which  the  town  is  situated  comprises  about  one  thousand  acres, 
a  portion  of  which  was  originally  purchased  from  the  government  by 
the  county  commissioners  of  this  county,  and  surveyed  into  lots,  a  part 
of  which  were  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  county,  and  the  whole  were 
subsequently  sold  to  the  Western  Settlement  Society  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio.  Said  society,  after  laying  out  a  large  addition  to  the  town,  and 
getting  the  name  changed  to  Guttenberg,  sold  the  lots  in  what  were 
termed  sections,  each  comprising  three  lots  and  an  acre  lot,  said  acre 
lots  being  situated  on  the  bluffs,  and  designed  principally  for  resi- 
dences.    We  have  never  witnessed  a  more  picturesque  view  of  the 


84  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Mississippi  river  than  from  this  part  of  the  town.  That  portion  of  the 
town  along  the  brink  of  the  river  rises  some  fifteen  feet  above  high 
water  mark,  and  gradually  descends  towards  the  bluffs.  Had  the  land 
naturally  ascended  from  the  river  in  proportion  as  it  descends,  it  would 
have  been  one  of  the  best  town  sites  on  the  river,  between  St.  Paul  and 
St.  Louis.  This  natural  defect  will  in  a  great  measure  be  remedied,  in 
time,  by  building  dikes,  filling  up,  etc. ;  in  fact,  the  corporation  has 
already  expended  a  considerable  amount  for  this  purpose.  The  town 
was  incorporated  by  an  act  of  the  legislature  in  1850,  and  an  enter- 
prising spirit  is  manifested  by  its  citizens,  truly  commendable,  in  levy- 
ing taxes  for  the  purpose  of  grading  roads  to  render  the  place  easy  of 
access  from  the  surrounding  country,  and  for  other  purposes. 

Mining  is  carried  on  to  a  considerable  extent  in  the  vicinity,  and 
must  be  paying  extremely  well  at  the  prices  for  mineral.  There  have 
been  two  smelting  furnaces  erected  on  Miners'  branch.  This  stream 
also  furnishes  water  power  sufficient  for  manufacturing  purposes. 
The  town  contains  a  population  of  from  five  to  six  hundred ;  has  a 
good  steamboat  landing,  two  public  houses,  and  several  stores,  some  of 
which  are  doing  a  large  business.  The  county  seat  was  first  located 
here,  and  at  that  time — Iowa  being  but  a  territory,  under  the  immediate 
jurisdiction  of  the  Federal  Government — the  costs  incident  to  litigation 
were  drawn  from  the  pockets  of  Uncle  Sam.  The  parties  litigant, 
juror.s,  etc.,  like  all  others  who  feed  at  the  public  crib,  were  not  in  the 
habit  of  dispatching  business  on  the  locomotive  principle ;  although,  if 
the  legends  of  trading  can  be  relied  on,  the  application  of  steam  was 
occasionally  made  to  facilitate  their  operations. 

Clayton — The  town  of  Clayton  is  the  youngest  of  all  the  rising 
towns  of  Clayton  county.  It  was  surveyed  in  the  fall  of  1849 — the 
present  site  of  the  town  being  a  dense  forest  of  timber  previous  to  that 
time.  The  place  is  situated  on  section  i,  township  93  north,  range  3 
west ;  it  is  six  miles  from  Garnavillo  and  fifteen  miles  from  Elkader. 
The  beginning  of  business  at  the  place  was  made  by  Frank  Smith  & 
Co.,  who,  in  the  fall  of  1849,  erected  a  warehouse  and  store  and  com- 
menced the  mercantile  business.  The  town  did  not  improve  much  until 
the  fall  of  185 1,  when  it  took  a  start,  and  has  steadily  improved  until 
the  present  time.  There  are  now  three  stores  in  the  place,  and  another 
is  soon  to  be  opened  by  the  enterprising  house  of  Clark  &  Rogers,  now 
of  Garnavillo.  There  is  also  a  fair  complement  of  mechanics  of 
various  trades,  and  from  the  preparations  made  by  some  of  them, 
we  conclude  that  manufacturing  to  a  considerable  extent  will  be  car- 
ried on  there,  especially  in  wagon  and  plow  making.  Some  idea  of 
the  business  of  the  place  may  be  obtained  from  consideration  of  the 
fact  that  Clark  &  Rogers  and  Frank  Smith  &  Co.,  have  purchased 
about  forty  thousand  bushels  of  grain,  mostly  wheat,  which  amount 
has  nearly  all  been  obtained  since  the  first  day  of  January,  1853,  neither 
of  those  firms  being  prepared  to  purchase  to  any  extent  previous  to 
that  time,  for  want  of  warehouse  room.  Messrs.  Frank  Smith  &  Co. 
will  complete  their  large  steam  sawmill  in  June  or  July  next  and  Messrs. 
Linton  and  Douglass  have  their  sawmill,  situated  on  Read's  creek, 
nearly  completed.  These  mills  will  largely  increase  the  business  of  the 
place,  and  will  be  of  great  benefit  to  the  surrounding  country.    Clayton 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  85 

has  heretofore  carried  on  a  considerable  commerce  in  steamboat  wood, 
obtained  principally  from  the  islands  of  the  river  near  the  place.  These 
islands  are  swamp  lands,  and  have  recently  been  given  to  the  county 
by  the  state.  The  county  judge — in  pursuance  of  a  plain  duty  imposed 
by  law — recently  made  a  descent  on  the  wood  choppers  engaged  in 
despoiling  those  lands  of  their  timber,  and  we  learn  that — either  in 
consequence  of  his  warnings,  or  of  the  recent  thaw — the  wood 
choppers  have  desisted,  at  least  for  a  season.  Clayton  has  a  good 
steamboat  landing,  excellent  timber  in  its  vicinity,  good  building  stone, 
and,  like  all  the  river  towns  of  Clayton  county,  a  good  country  back 
of  it,  and  like  all  of  them  a  bright  prospect  for  the  future. 

Garnavillo — This  town  is  situated  near  the  geographical  centre  of 
the  county,  on  a  high,  rolling  prairie,  and  six  miles  from  the  Missis- 
sippi. The  county  seat  was  formerly  located  at  Prairie  la  Porte  (now 
Guttenberg)  but  for  the  last  ten  years  has  been  at  this  place.  It  can 
hardly  be  expected  that  we  should  boast  very  highly  of  either  our  com- 
mercial or  manufacturing  advantages,  although  we  are  in  close  prox- 
imity to  both.  We  are  only  six  miles  from  the  Father  of  Waters,  and 
have  a  stream  only  two  miles  distant,  which  afifords  admirable  water 
power.  A  sawmill  was  built  on  this  stream  last  fall,  by  our  townsman 
B.  F.  Forbes,  who  intends  building  a  flouring  mill  at  no  distant  day. 
There  is  another  sawmill  being  erected  by  Corning  &  Brothers  a 
short  distance  below  the  former.  There  is  a  Court  House  (such  as 
it  is)  at  this  place,  one  public  house,  five  stores,  four  churches  and 
one  printing  office,  (the  Herald).  There  are  the  county  offices  also, 
and  several  mechanic  shops  of  the  dififerent  trades.  There  will  be 
several  buildings  erected  this  season,  providing  lumber  can  be  obtained 
and  we  think  it  high  time,  where  an  ordinary  log  cabin  rents  for  forty 
dollars  a  year  payable  semi-annually,  in  advance. 

Volga  City — This  town  is  situated  on  the  Volga,  a  branch  of 
Turkey  river,  and  is  nine  miles  from  Elkader  and  25  miles  from  the 
Mississippi.  It  was  laid  out  into  town  lots  in  the  summer  of  1852, 
and  quite  a  number  have  been  improved.  The  enterprising  proprie- 
tors, W.  H.  and  A.  L.  Gould,  have  already  erected  a  sawmill  and  are 
now  building  a  flouring  mill  at  this  place.  A  portion  of  the  water 
power  has  already  been  applied  to  other  mechanical  purposes.  It  is 
situated  on  one  of  the  main  thoroughfares,  leading  from  the  interior 
portion  of  the  state  to  the  river,  and  will,  beyond  doubt  make  a  thriv- 
ing village. 

Elkport — This  town  is  on  Turkey  river,  15  miles  from  the  Mis- 
sissippi. It  was  laid  out  in  1853,  but  we  are  not  in  possession  of 
sufficient  information  relative  to  the  place  to  state  with  accuracy  the 
amount  of  improvement  which  has  been  done.  A  belief  has  been 
entertained  that  steamboats  would  some  day  ply  regularly  between  the 
mouth  of  the  river  and  this  place  and  even  as  high  up  as  Elkader,  but 
in  this  age  of  railroad  progress  it  is  very  doubtful  whether  it  would 
pay  to  make  the  necessary  improvements  to  render  the  river  available. 
Millznlle — Is  on  Turkey  river  and  possesses  some  indications  of 
a  town,  although  at  present  it  is  in  about  the  same  predicament  that 
the  sun  was  directly  after  the  commands  of  Joshua.  The  town  busi- 
ness is  done  here,  and  there  is  a  flouring  mill,  post  office,  etc.     It  was 


86  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

formerly  a  kind  of  tributary  to  the  great  town  of  Winchester,  the 
whereabouts  of  which  may  be  learned  from  some  of  the  old  maps  of 
Iowa  in  about  1837,  when  Cassville  was  aspiring  to  be  the  capital  of 
Wisconsin. 

Monona — This  place  is  situated  on  a  high  prairie,  12  miles  from 
McGregor  and  on  the  main  road  to  Fort  Atkinson.  It  has  a  public 
house,  two  stores,  several  mechanic  shops ;  and  is  surrounded  by  a 
beautiful  country.  We  have  seen  no  place  in  Iowa  where  the  beauty 
of  the  landscape  in  summer  was  more  attractive  than  this  place. 

Elkader — This  town  is  on  Turkey  river  about  16  miles  from  the 
Mississippi  at  Clayton,  and  18  at  McGregor.  It  was  surveyed  into 
lots  in  the  summer  of  1846.  The  almost  unlimited  water  power  at 
this  place  forms  a  nucleus  around  which,  at  no  distant  day,  a  populous 
and  enterprising  village  is  sure  to  grow,  as  the  country  around  it  is 
sure  to  advance  in  population  and  wealth.  The  enterprising  firm  of 
Thompson,  Sage  &  Davis  improved  the  water  power,  and  erected  a 
saw  and  flouring  mill  here  at  an  early  day.  The  latter  will  compare 
favorably  both  in  size  and  workmanship,  with  any  in  the  middle  or 
northern  states.  We  understand  that  they  have  bought  this  season, 
upwards  of  30,000  bushels  of  wheat,  which  was  raised  in  the  vicinity 
and  west  of  the  place — the  most  of  the  crops  raised  in  the  eastern 
portion  of  the  county  being  sold  at  different  points  on  the  river. 
Chester  Sage  retired  from  the  firm  last  spring,  and  we  have  been 
informed  that  T.  Davis,  of  Dubuque,  has  purchased  the  entire  interest 
of  John  Thompson  and  will  move  there  during  the  coming  months. 
Carter  &  Co.  and  Freeman  &  Lawrence,  are  each  doing  an  exten- 
sive mercantile  business.  There  are  one  or  two  smaller  establish- 
ments in  the  place,  also  a  foundry,  wagon  and  carriage  shop,  plow  shop 
and  many  other  kinds  of  mechanical  business  carried  on,  which,  from 
appearance,  we  should  think  were  doing  well. 

RIVER  TRAFFIC 

A  picture  of  the  eager  activity  of  the  time  is  given  in  the  Herald 
of  April  22,  1853.  It  says :  "The  river  is  now  open  to  St.  Peters,  and 
boats  are  making  their  regular  trips.  The  late  rains  have  raised  the 
river  so  that  there  is  no  difficulty  in  the  largest  boat  running  over  the 
rapids  and  no  hindrance  need  be  anticipated  for  some  time  to  come. 
Several  boats  have  been  through  heavily  loaded  with  freight  and 
crowded  with  passengers.  Most  of  the  passengers,  thus  far,  have 
been  destined  to  the  upper  country,  although  many  have  stopped  at 
different  points  in  this  county.  Those  who  have  come  here  report 
themselves  as  only  the  advance  guard  to  what  are  coming  this  season, 
and,  if  we  mistake  not,  many  who  have  gone  to  the  upper  country  for 
the  purpose  of  locating  farming  lands  will  yet  return  to  northern  Iowa 
before  making  their  investments. 

"Many  of  our  merchants  are  in  the  cities  making  their  purchases, 
and  some  have  already  returned  with  heavy  supplies,  and  are  deahng 
them  out  at  low  figures.  Every  department  of  business  seems  to  have 
received  a  new  impulse,  and  is  generating  strength  from  day  to  day. 
Especially  is  this  true  of  our  river  towns.     The  call  for  tenements  of 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  87 

different  kinds  was  never  before  equal  to  this ;  anything  that  will  pass 
for  a  house,  brings  a  large  rent,  and  the  supply  nowhere  equals  the 
demand." 

The  same  issue  gives  the  vote  of  the  county  as  follows :  For  regis- 
ter of  Des  Moines  improvement,  H.  R,  Warden,  177;  George  Gillaspy, 
265 ;  for  commissioner,  Des  Moines  river  improvement,  Uriah  Biggs, 
83 ;  Josiah  H.  Bonney,  285 ;  for  drainage  commissioner,  John  M.  Gay, 
107;  E.  H.  Hiett,  553.  About  half  the  votes  of  the  county  was  polled. 
Testing  seed  corn  is  not  such  a  recent  fad  as  some  may  think  for  this 
paper  tells  that  "William  Schultz,  one  of  our  large  and  classical  farm- 
ers, has  shown  us  a  sample  of  the  corn  which  he  saved  for  seed,  and 
which  he  has  tried,  and  every  kernel  has  come  well.  He  says  that  he 
is  careful  to  pick  his  seed  before  the  first  frost,  and  secure  it  in  a 
proper  manner,  and  his  seed  has  never  failed  since  he  has  been  in 
Iowa  (12  years)." 

Business  Conditions — Business  continued  to  boom  and  in  May  the 
Herald  sounded  a  note  of  triumph  as  follows :  Strangers  are  contin- 
ually coming  among  us  seeking  locations,  and  real  estate  is  changing 
hands  rapidly.  The  Excelsior,  that  model  boat  as  her  name  indi- 
cates, has  just  passed  up  the  river  with  a  heavy  load  of  freight  and  pas- 
sengers. We  understand  that  over  one  hundred  passengers  left  the 
boat  at  the  different  river  towns  in  this  county,  most  of  whom  were 
in  search  of  locations  for  farming  purposes,  and  hailed  from  the  Key- 
stone State.  The  Excelsior  is  but  one  of  six  or  seven  first  class  boats 
(besides  several  smaller  ones)  which  run  in  the  upper  trade  this  sea- 
son, and  nearly  all  come  loaded  to  the  guards  with  freight  and  pas- 
sengers, a  large  proportion  of  which  are  prepared  to  make  permanent 
settlements  among  us.  Our  merchants  generally  have  bought  much 
larger  stocks  than  usual ;  the  most  of  them  are  just  receiving  their 
goods,  some  are  yet  absent  making  their  purchases,  and  one  firm,  who 
b't  very  early,  have  already  ordered  and  received  in  store  a  large  addi- 
tional supply  from  New  York  by  express.  Our  villages  have  thrown 
off  their  old  garments,  (not  very  old  they  were,  either,  but  still  nearly 
old  enough  for  some  of  them  to  become  hide-bound  in)  and  have  gone 
to  work  in  earnest  to  improve  their  appearances,  not  in  the  way  of 
selling  lots  at  exorbitant  prices,  but  with  the  trowel,  plane,  saw,  and 
brush.  J\lany  large  and  permanent  buildings  are  being  erected,  which 
would  do  credit  to  any  town  in  the  northwest.  In  short,  business  of 
all  kinds  has  received  an  additional  impulse  approaching  one  hundred 
per  cent  over  any  former  precedent.  That  which  was  considered 
doubtful  yesterday  proves  tenable  to-day  and  requires  an  increase 
to-morrow ;  and  so  it  will  doubtless  continue  until  some  great  crash  in 
the  monetary  affairs  of  the  commercial  system  shall  put  a  check  to 
the  wheels  of  progress  for  the  time  being,  and  which  may  come  next 
year,  or  perhaps  not  in  the  next  ten  years,  and  possibly  not  even  then. 

The  ever  increasing  activity  is  shown  by  the  establishment  of  a 
semi-weekly  stage  between  Guttenberg  and  Garnavillo  which  was 
hailed  with  great  delight.  The  mining  interests  at  Guttenberg  were 
considered  of  much  importance  and  the  prospects  were  thought  to  be 
most  promising,  as  is  shown  by  the   following  statement :  "We  are 


88  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

informed  by  Mayor  Kriebs  that  the  mines  in  the  bluff  directly  back 
of  the  town  are  being  worked  to  good  advantage,  Dr.  Lodowick  hav- 
ing raised  as  much  as  fifteen  hundred  pounds  of  mineral  in  one  day. 
This  is  pretty  good,  with  the  price  of  mineral  at  $25  and  $30  per  1,000 
lbs.  We  are  told  that  this  mineral  yields  82  per  cent  of  lead.  The 
diggings  on  Miners  Creek  are  yielding  sufficient  to  pay  well  for  work- 
ing them.  The  smelting  furnaces  are  both  doing  a  good  business.  Mr. 
Kriebs  also  informs  us  that  the  people  of  Guttenberg  have  voted  a  tax 
for  the  purpose  of  building  a  large  schoolhouse,  costing  from  $2,000 
to  $3,000 ;  proposals  for  building  will  be  advertised  for  in  a  week  or 
two.  The  diggings  on  Miners  Creek  are  paying  fair  wages.  We  were 
told  by  Mr.  Holmes,  that  he  had  a  prospect  from  which  he  and  a  hand 
were  taking  out  from  five  to  seven  hundred  pounds  a  day.  We  under- 
stood that  Guttenberg  corporation  scrip  brings  ninety  cents  on  the 
dollar,  with  the  prospect  of  bringing  dollar  for  dollar  in  a  short  time. 
So  far  as  we  had  opportunity  for  observing,  the  mechanics,  the  labor- 
ers, the  farmers,  miners  and  merchants  are  prospering,  business  is 
flourishing,  and  every  thing  gives  evidence  of  a  favorable  business 
season. 

Immigration — The  Herald  gives  a  glowing  account  of  the  times 
saying,  "there  never  was  a  time  in  any  portion  of  the  west,  when  the 
country  was  settling  with  greater  rapidity  than  northern  Iowa  is  at 
this  time.  The  whole  country,  from  60  to  100  miles  west  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi, is  literally  alive  with  immigrants ;  where  the  buffalo  and  other 
wild  game  roamed  in  comparative  security  today,  tomorrow  the  cabin 
of  the  pioneer,  is  seen  rising  in  their  midst,  and  ere  they  become  set- 
tled upon  new  grounds,  they  are  again  frightened  from  them  by  the 
rising  of  domiciles  of  the  settlers.  New  farms  are  being  opened  in 
every  direction,  and  where  government  holds  the  title  today,  tomor- 
row may  be  seen  unmistakable  signs  of  a  farm,  a  village,  a  mill,  or 
something  else  which  denotes  the  immediate  transposition  from  the 
cradle  to  the  advanced  stage  of  civilization.  Close  after  the  pioneer, 
who  opens  his  farm  60  miles  from  market  in  1853,  follows  the  capi- 
talist to  invest  his  surplus  in  building  a  railroad  to  transport  the  sur- 
plus product  of  the  farmer  to  market  in  1854 ;  and  forsooth,  while  the 
older  inhabitants  of  the  older  states  hear  of  a  new  section  of  country 
brought  into  the  market,  and  the  sturdy  settler  bending  his  way  thither, 
from  associations  of  ideas  relative  to  the  many  sufferings  incident  to 
the  settlement  of  a  new  country  when  they  were  young,  drop  a  tear 
in  sympathy  for  their  affliction,  which,  ere  it  dries,  finds  them  sur- 
rounded by  all  the  necessaries  and  often  many  of  the  luxuries  of  the 
older  states.  There  never  was  a  time  before  in  this  country,  when 
every  legitimate  business  seems  so  prosperous  as  at  present.  It  seems 
as  if  the  magic  wand  of  the  conjurer  had  passed  over  us,  and  pro- 
duced a  perfect  commotion  in  all  the  departments  of  business,  unparal- 
leled perhaps,  in  the  annuls  of  the  west.  We  learn  from  the  most  reli- 
able authority  that  there  are  in  this,  Allamakee,  Winneshiek  and 
Fayette  counties  at  least  40  saw  and  flouring  mills  to  be  built  this  sea- 
son, or  as  soon  as  labor  sufficient  can  be  procured.  At  present  there 
is  a  great  scarcity  of  mechanics,  especially  carpenters,  joiners,  masons, 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  89 

and  millwrights  and  unless  some  can  be  procured  from  abroad,  much 
of  the  building  will  have  to  be  deferred. 

FIRST  AGRICULTURAL  SOCIETY 

In  July,  1853,  the  Herald  began  a  campaign  for  the  organization 
of  an  agricultural  society.  This  was  continued  from  week  to  week 
and  finally  resulted  in  a  meeting  held  at  Garnavillo  on  Friday,  August 
5,  at  which  the  first  steps  were  taken  for  the  organization  of  the  soci- 
ety which  has  proved  so  helpful  to  the  county.  E.  H.  Williams  was 
chairman  and  H.  S.  Granger  secretary.  The  committee  to  draft  a  con- 
stitution and  solicit  members  was  as  follows :  T.  Davis,  chairman, 
Robert  Smith,  Dennis  Quigley,  J.  C.  Tremain,  Jon.  Noble,  John  W. 
Potts,  John  Barnett,  J.  W.  Griffith,  Eliphalet  Price,  F.  A.  Olds,  M.  L. 
Fisher,  L.  Bigelow,  P.  P.  Olmstead,  and  Joshua  Jackson.  On  Sep- 
tember 10  a  meeting  was  held  at  Garnavillo  at  which  the  constitution 
was  adopted,  giving  as  one  of  the  purposes  the  holding  of  an  annual 
fair  and  Samuel  Murdock  was  elected  president,  H.  S.  Granger,  secre- 
tary, and  L.  S.  McHollister  of  Farmersburg,  treasurer. 

An  interesting  statement  showing  the  rapid  growth  of  the  county 
is  found  in  a  comparative  table  taken  from  the  assessment  roll.  In 
1852,  the  county  contained  1,227  horses,  5,060  cattle,  15  mules,  1,650 
sheep,  6,019  swine.  The  number  of  acres  occupied  by  settlers  was 
318,581  and  the  assessed  value  $707,323.  In  1853,  these  had  increased 
to  the  following  figures,  horses  1,560,  cattle  5,267,  mules,  23,  sheep 
2,235,  swine  8,353,  ^^"d  held,  343,933  acres,  assessed  value  $1,007,665. 
This  was  an  increase  in  value  of  56  per  cent  in  a  single  year. 

Vote  of  185s — At  the  election  held  in  August,  1853,  Sanford  L. 
Peck  defeated  John  M.  Gay  by  a  close  vote,  the  vote  by  precincts  being 
as  follows: 

Sanford  L.  Peck.         John  M.  Gay. 

Wagner   22  10 

Sperry    20  27 

Monona   30  20 

Buena  Vista 15  21 

Garnavillo   51  44 

Mallory   rr.TT.  21      -  8 

Cass   17  10 

Farmersburg     28  35 

Mendon     14  30 


218  205 
The    returns    from    the    following   townships   were    rejected    on 
account  of  irregularity. 

Sanford  L.  Peck.        John  M.  Gay. 

Jeflferson    47  19 

Lodomillo    18  18 

Volga   20  13 

Millville     23  14 

Boardman   66  39 

174  103 


90  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

The  following  officers  received  almost  the  whole  number  of  votes 
cast :  Sheriff,  Thos.  G.  Drips ;  Surveyor,  Ezra  Hurd ;  Drainage  Com- 
missioner, E.  H.  Hiett;  Coroner,  Alexander  Blake.  "The  vote,"  adds 
the  Herald,  "was  small,  owing  to  the  fact  that  election  comes  at  the 
season  when  the  farmers  are  engaged  with  their  harvest,  and  will  not 
spare  the  time  to  engage  in  politics." 

MC  gregor's  property 

The  Herald  for  1853,  contains  many  items  showing  the  growth  of 
the  county  at  various  points.  Concerning  McGregor  a  contributor 
says :  "You  would  be  surprised  at  the  improvement  going  on  here.  I 
have  not  time  to  particularize,  but  will  tell  you  in  time  for  next  paper. 
H.  D.  Evans,  I  understand,  is  commencing  to  build  a  warehouse  100 
by  70  feet,  four  stories  high.  Mr.  Carlin,  of  the  Towa  House,'  is  also 
building  an  addition  to  his  house.  About  a  mile  from  here,  on  the 
Garnavillo  road,  I  fell  in  with  Mr.  Riley,  who  is  a  perfect  specimen  of 
an  Iowa  pioneer.  On  the  loth  of  April  last,  he  tented  in  the  woods, 
now  he  has  five  acres  under  cultivation,  with  a  first  rate  crop  of  corn, 
potatoes,  turnips,  etc.,  has  a  good  log  house,  and  conveniences,  all 
accomplished  by  his  own  willing  hands.  He  also  manufactures  a 
washing  machine,  which  needs  only  to  be  seen  to  be  appreciated." 

BUSY  GUTTENEERG 

The  progress  of  Guttenberg  is  shown  by  the  following:  "Every- 
body is  busy,  and  the  place  looks  prosperous.  At  the  sale  of  the 
front  lots  on  the  i6ult.,  four  lots  were  'leased  for  a  term  of  twenty 
years,  for  warehouse  purposes,'  at  (as  we  understand)  a  rent  of 
$40  per  annum.  Messrs.  Fleck  &  Bros,  have  already  commenced 
building  a  warehouse  on  the  river  bank, —  in  front  of  their  store, — 
fifty  by  seventy-five  feet,  three  and  a  half  stories  high.  J.  P.  Kriebs 
also  contemplates  building  a  warehouse.  The  new  school-house  is 
under  contract.  It  will  cost  $1,700  to  $2,000.  Several  new  dwelling 
houses  are  being  erected  and  finished;  the  brick  house  of  Mr. 
Treppahne  and  that  of  Mr.  Rodemier  being  the  two  largest.  The  dig- 
gings in  the  bluff  are  not  worked  at  present,  on  account  of  the  warm 
weather.  The  furnaces  were  both  out  of  blast ;  but  the  Messrs.  Fleck 
intended  to  commence  smelting  on  Monday  last.  Mineral  is  purchased 
for  both  furnaces,  at  prices  ranging  from  $25  to  $30  per  1,000  lbs." 

Lead  Mining — Mining  was  one  of  the  important  industries  and  a 
visit  to  Buena  Vista  made  by  the  Herald  editor  tells  of  conditions  there. 
"We  paid  a  visit  to  Buena  Vista  last  week.  There  is  but  little  doing 
in  the  mines,  owing  to  sickness  among  the  miners.  Mineral  was  sell- 
ing at  $32  per  1,000  lbs.  E.  C.  Forbes  and  B.  White  are  both  doing  a 
pretty  large  business  in  the  mercantile  line,  and  the  former  is  dealing 
extensively  in  wheat."  It  was  during  this  year  that  a  steam  sawmill 
was  built  at  Clayton  b}'  the  enterprising  firm  of  Frank  Smith  &  Co. 
while  Monona  boasted  a  new  hotel.  This  was  called  Egbert's  Hotel 
and  is  described  as  new,  large  and  commodious. 


PROGRESS   AND  POVERTY — 185O-1860  9 1 

COUNTY  FINANCE 

The  finances  of  the  county  at  this  time  are  shown  by  the  following 
statement  by  Judge  Williams : 

The  total  expenditures  of  Clayton  county  for 

the  year  ending  July  4th,  1853,  is $4,668.04 

The  credits  are : 

Taxes  on  property  collected $5,118.98 

Taxes  on  property  delinquent 4,118.29 

Poll  tax  collected 406.00 

Poll  tax  delinquent 62.00 

Due  from  Swamp  Lands 95-50 

Fees  of  County  Officers 1,237.42 

$7,338-17 

Assets  on  expenditure 2,670.15 

County  debt,  not  including  interest 2,277.59 

Including  interest  it  will  not  exceed 3,000.00 

Estimated  income  of  next  year 9,300.00 

Estimated  expenditure  of  next  year 5,000.00 

A  tax  of  five  mills  this  year  will  enable  the  accounting  officers  to 
nearly,  if  not  quite,  wipe  out  the  indebtedness  of  the  county.  We  con- 
gratulate the  citizens  and  tax-payers  of  this  county  upon  the  above 
favorable  exhibit  of  the  indebtedness  of  the  county,  which  has  been  fur- 
nished us  by  the  County  Judge.  The  tax  for  this  year  will  be  7^  mills 
on  the  dollar,  as  follows :  five  for  county  purposes,  one  and  one-fourth 
for  state,  one  for  road,  and  one-half  for  school.  Should  the  calcula- 
tion of  receipts  and  expenditures  for  the  next  fiscal  year  prove  correct, 
(and  we  think  they  may  be  relied  on),  Clayton  county  will  no  longer 
have  to  pay  bonus  on  her  credit,  but  when  a  dollar  is  issued  to  pay 
one,  and  not  two  dollars,  being  "salted  down,"  drawing  interest  at  six 
per  cent,  to  be  drawn  out  when  they  are  at  par  value. 

Mails — The  carrying  of  the  mails  was  of  vital  importance.  Dur- 
ing the  navigation  season,  mail  was  brought  up  the  river,  but  the  main 
dependence  for  all  the  countryside  was  in  the  network  of  stage  lines 
which,  by  1853,  had  been  developed  into  an  extensive  system.  The 
rapid  development  of  the  county,  with  new  settlements  constantly 
springing  up,  made  the  addition  of  new  routes  frequently  necessary 
and  often  times  the  settlers  grew  impatient  because  postal  facilities 
failed  to  keep  pace  with  their  advancement.  Throughout  all  of  these 
earlier  years  the  newspapers  are  constantly  complaining  of  the  mail 
service,  suggesting  changes  of  schedule  and  urging  new  routes.  The 
condition  of  the  mail  service  in  1853,  may  be  gleaned  from  the  follow- 
ing, taken  from  the  Herald  of  October  7:  "We  notice  that  increased 
service  has  been  asked  for  on  the  route  from  Monona  to  Lansing,  and 
also  that  the  route  should  be  so  changed  as  to  connect  either  at  Farm- 
ersburg  or  Garnavillo  instead  of  Monona.  The  winter  will  soon  be 
upon  us,  when  mail  service  by  the  way  of  the  river  will  be  suspended, 
and  there  is  no  doubt  but  that  the  wants  of  the  country  are  sufficient 
to  justify  the  department  in  granting  increased  service,  both  on  this 


92  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

and  also  on  the  route  from  here  to  Decorah.  There  is  also  a  great 
want  of  a  general  revision  of  the  mails  in  this  portion  of  the  state.  The 
mails  which  we  now  have  might  answer  a  much  better  purpose  than 
they  now  do,  if  they  only  connected  in  proper  manner.  For  instance^ 
a  man  at  Clayton  wishes  to  send  an  important  business  letter  to  West 
Union,  and  it  so  happens  that  he  wishes  to  send  it  on  Monday.  What 
are  the  mail  facilities  for  getting  it  there  ?  He  writes  his  letter,  depos- 
its it  in  the  Post  Office  and  Saturday  it  comes  to  this  place ;  but  the 
western  mail  went  out  on  Friday,  so  it  lays  over  here  until  the  follow- 
ing Friday  when  it  goes  to  Elkader ;  but  it  does  not  get  there  until  four 
o'clock,  and  the  mail  left  for  West  Union  in  the  morning;  so  it  lies 
there  until  the  following  Friday,  when  lo  and  behold  it  arrives  at  its 
destination  twenty-one  days  from  the  time  it  was  written — a  distance 
of  only  forty  miles !  And  in  one  week  from  the  following  Saturday 
he  gets  his  answer,  making  in  all  precisely  thirty  days.  During  this 
time,  if  the  writer  should  be  expert  at  traveling,  he  may  step  over  and 
pay  his  respects  to  Queen  Victoria,  and  return  in  time  to  receive  his 
answer  and  proceed  to  business." 

A  Pioneer  Mail  Carrier — One  of  the  earliest  mail  carriers  in  the 
county  was  Jeremiah  Roser,  who  as  a  boy,  under  sixteen,  carried  the 
mail  on  horse  back  from  Dubuque  to  Jacksonville  in  the  winter  of 
1844-45.  He  made  the  trip  twice  a  week  carrying  the  mail  in  his 
saddle  bag.  He  followed  the  territorial  road  from  Dubuque,  almost 
his  entire  journey  being  through  the  timber,  which  was  full  of  wild 
turkey,  deer  and  wolves,  while  bear  were  not  infrequent  and  often  the 
sinister  face  of  an  Indian  peered  at  the  little  messenger  from  the  thick 
underbrush.  There  were  but  four  post  offices  between  Dubuque  and 
Jacksonville.  The  first  of  these  was  Recordville,  which  consisted  of 
a  mortised  hole  in  an  oak  tree  by  the  roadside,  into  which  Jerry  placed 
the  mail  for  the  few  timber  dwellers  thereabout.  His  next  stop  was 
at  Floyd's  Tavern  and  he  then  reached  Clayton  county,  and,  passing 
the  Quigley  sawmill  at  Millville,  he  went  to  the  post  office  known  as 
Turkey  River,  with  Isaac  H.  Preston  as  post  master.  The  messenger 
spent  the  night  at  Millville  and  then  took  the  Indian  trail  through  the 
brush  to  Prairie  la  Porte.  Then  northwest  on  the  trail  to  Eli  Carlin's 
and  over  the  prairie  road  to  Jacksonville. 

Reuben  Noble  was  post  master  at  Jacksonville  at  the  time,  and 
Mrs.  Noble  took  good  care  of  the  little  messenger  at  the  end  of  his 
long  journey.  On  one  occasion  he  arrived  with  both  hands  and  feet 
frozen.  It  speaks  well  for  the  honesty  of  the  community  that  he  was 
unmolested  on  these  lonely  trips  except  on  one  occasion  when  there 
was  an  attempt  made  to  hold  him  up  near  the  Turkey  River  postoffice 
one  day  when  he  was  carrying  $400  in  gold  from  a  Clayton  county 
settler  to  the  land  office  at  Dubuque.  The  contract  time  called  for  the 
arrival  of  the  mail  at  Jacksonville  at  12  o'clock  on  Tuesdays  and  Fri- 
days, and  the  messenger  was  required  to  leave,  on  his  return  journey, 
at  2  o'clock  of  the  same  days.  Prepayment  of  postage  was  not 
required  and  rates  were  high.  An  old  envelope,  still  in  existence 
shows  the  address,  "Jacksonville,  Clayton  County,  Iowa  Territory." 
On  the  envelope  is  marked  the  amount  of  postage  due,  being  18^ 
cents. 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  93 

Description  of  County — Mr.  Granger,  the  Herald  editor,  made  a 
lengthy  journey  in  1853,  canvassing  for  subscriptions  to  his  new  paper. 
Speaking  of  McGregor  he  says,  "Everybody  was  busy,  building,  repair- 
ing, cleaning,  merchandising,  ferrying,  and  everything  else  that  tends 
to  make  a  people  happy,  wise  and  rich.  The  amount  of  freight  landed 
at  this  point  is  almost  incredible,  and  the  number  of  emigrants  that 
cross  the  Mississippi  at  the  ferry  is  really  surprising.  Leaving  town 
we  crossed  the  bluffs  to  the  upper  ferry  wood,  and  this  same  crossing 
of  the  bluffs  was  an  enterprise  of  no  little  difficulty  and  danger — diffi- 
culty in  keeping  the  trail,  and  danger  of  getting  tumbled  into  the  turbid 
waters  of  Bloody  Run.  A  large  number  of  settlers  are  located  on 
the  road  between  the  river  and  Monona,  many  of  whom  have  good 
farms  opened  out,  have  considerable  stock,  and  seemed  to  be  living 
comfortably.  George  Shober  presented  us  with  some  good  apples 
grown  on  his  farm ;  he  is  one  of  the  few  who  believes  that  apples  and 
other  fruit  will  grow  in  Clayton  county.  The  merchants  of  Monona 
are  doing  a  considerable  amount  of  business ;  the  jNIessrs.  Harding 
have  erected  and  are  now  finishing  a  large  building,  and  Mr.  Egbert 
has  removed  his  stock  to  the  new  store  room  adjoining  the  hotel.  Tak- 
ing the  old  military  road  to  Fort  Atkinson,  we  passed  a  number  of 
farms,  on  many  of  which  houses  are  being  erected  and  improvements 
made." 

Boom  Days  at  Clayton — We  cannot  close  this  picture  of  the 
county  as  its  first  newspaper  found  it  without  including  the  further 
description  of  Clayton  as  given  by  Mr.  Granger.  "Three  years  ago, 
when  we  first  saw  the  place,  we  were  on  a  trip  from  St.  Louis  to  St. 
Paul,  and  in  search  of  a  location  for  a  home  in  the  west.  At  that  time 
Frank  Smith  &  Co.  had  just  opened  a  store  in  a  part  of  the  building 
they  now  occupy,  and  there  was  then  but  one  family  in  the  place.  In 
short,  it  presented  to  a  stranger  the  appearance  of  a  small  wood-yard, 
with  no  visible  prospect  of  ever  being  anything  more.  At  this  time 
the  above  firm  keeps  a  large  stock  and  sells  both  at  wholesale  and 
retail,  it  also  does  considerable  in  the  storage,  forwarding  and  commis- 
sion business,  has  a  steam  sawmill  nearly  completed  and  intends  erect- 
ing a  steam  flouring  mill,  perhaps,  next  season.  It  also  has  a  good 
horse  ferry  boat  which  is  kept  busy.  Park  &  Rogers  have  a  large 
brick  storage,  forwarding  and  commission  house,  also  a  large 
wooden  building.  They  also  have  a  brick  store  and  a  large  two-story 
brick  dwelling  house.  There  are  two  good  hotels  in  the  place.  J.  H. 
Duncan  first  built  a  two-story  building,  as  a  store  and  dwelling,  but 
lacking  room  he  has  erected  a  dwelling  and  will  use  the  first  building 
for  a  store  altogether.  There  are  several  brick  dwellings  and  many 
substantial  wooden  ones,  besides  a  large  number  of  smaller  ones. 
There  is  a  wagon  and  carriage  shop,  sash,  door  and  blind  factory, 
blacksmith,  tinner  and  cabinet  shop.  A  little  back  from  the  street, 
among  the  trees  and  near  a  babbling  brook,  is  the  domicile  of  the  peda- 
gogue, where  a    school  is  continued  the  greater  portion  of  the  year." 

Bridge  Building — Toward  the  close  of  the  year  the  question  of  a 
bridge  across  Turkey  river  became  a  "burning  issue"  in  the  county. 
The  necessity  for  the  bridge  was  recognized,  but  the  location  was  the 
object  of  much  strife.     Judge  Williams  took  the  bull  by  the  horns  in 


94  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

1854  and  announced  that  a  tax  would  be  levied  for  a  bridge  across  the 
lower  Turkey  river,  provided  the  citizens  in  the  vicinity  also  sub- 
scribed. In  a  communication  relative  to  the  bridge  question,  "Tam  O* 
Shanter"  gives  an  interesting  side  light  on  county  affairs.  He  states 
that  "we  have  been  laboring  under  an  oppressive  tax,  levied  to  pay  the 
debts  of  the  county  which  consisted  of  county  orders  which  were 
bought  by  capitalists  at  a  discount  of  50  per  cent  and  presented  at  the 
treasury  where  they  were  cashed  at  par."  John  P.  Kriebs  signs  an 
advertisement  calling  a  meeting  at  Guttenberg  of  those  interested  in 
the  bridge  project.  Elkader,  however,  did  not  propose  to  wait  for 
any  bridge,  and  this  enterprising  town  began  the  building  of  a  steam 
boat  for  the  navigation  of  the  Turkey.  Concerning  this  the  Herald 
says,  "as  novel  as  the  idea  may  seem,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  a 
steamboat  is  now  being  built  at  Elkader,  Adam  Keen,  the  energetic 
proprietor  has  been  engaged  for  some  years  past  in  the  foundry  busi- 
ness at  that  place,  with  his  brother,  George  Keen,  and  he  is  now 
embarked  in  this  new  enterprise.  The  whole  boat  is  to  be  built  there. 
He  has  superintended  the  building  of  the  engine,  which  is  nearly  com- 
pleted and  the  contract  is  let  for  building  the  boat." 

Prosperous  Years — Beginning  a  new  volume  of  his  paper  Mr. 
Granger  tells  of  conditions  in  the  county,  saying  "we  find  everything 
in  a  highly  prosperous  condition  in  our  own  county  and  vicinity.  The 
farmers  are  now  selling  their  last  year's  crops  at  high  prices,  with  no 
immediate  prospect  of  a  decline.  Business  of  all  kinds  is  becoming 
active ;  almost  everything  has  an  upward  and  onward  tendency.  We 
can  hardly  hear  from  any  portion  of  the  county  without  hearing  of 
improvements  being  planned  and  some  already  begun  which  are  of 
the  most  permanent  character.  According  to  a  statement  published, 
in  1854,  Clayton  county  was,  in  1853,  the  thirteenth  county  in  the 
state  in  point  of  wealth. 

Bridge  Controversies — The  bridge  question  continued  to  agitate 
the  county.  J.  W.  Griffith  presided  at  a  Guttenberg  meeting.  E. 
Price  offered  resolutions,  whereupon,  "an  able  and  interesting  discus- 
sion took  place  between  Mr.  Price  and  Mr.  Noble,  when  said  resolu- 
tions were  withdrawn."  Judge  Williams  was  appointed  as  a  commit- 
tee on  location.  Meetings  were  also  held  at  the  Colony  House  at 
which  the  location  at  Peck's  ferry  was  advocated.  At  a  meeting  at 
Guttenberg,  February  25,  Judge  Williams  reported  in  favor  of  a  loca- 
tion at  Peck's  Ferry.  E.  Price  moved  that  the  judge  be  requested  to 
procure  estimates  of  cost,  but,  "this  motion  was  seized  as  an  oppor- 
tunity by  those  dissatisfied  with  the  selection  to  express  their  disappro- 
bation and  was  lost  by  a  vote  of  more  than  two  to  one — a  very  large 
majority  of  the  Germans  of  Guttenberg  voting  against  it."  At  the 
close  of  this  meeting  Dr.  H.  Hoffbauer  gave  notice  of  another  meeting 
in  protest.  This  was  held,  F.  W.  Helmich  presiding  and  Jacob 
Nicklaus  acting  as  secretary.  At  this  meeting  a  bridge"  at  Pearson's 
Place  was  favored  and  the  following  were  among  the  resolutions 
passed :  "That  we  will  not  apply  our  money,  or  a  particle  of  it,  to  any 
other  point  on  Turkey  river,  at  this  time,  and  that  we  will  not  hear  any 
influence  or  inducements  to  any  other  point.  That  we  have  a  better 
claim  on  the  county  money  in  Judge  Williams'  hands,  as  we  are  citizens 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  95 

of  Clayton  county,  and  the  majority  of  the  friends  of  Peck's  Place  are 
citizens  of  Delaware  and  Dubuque  county.  That  we  are  ready  to  build 
a  bridge — as  is  a  bridge — across  the  Turkey  river  at  Pearson's  place, 
independent." 

March  3,  1854,  four  new  townships  were  added,  Giard,  Clayton, 
Highland,  and  Cox  Creek.  The  boundaries  were  substantially  as  they 
are  today.  On  March  17,  the  Herald  sounds  a  note  of  joy,  for  the 
river  is  open.  A  boat  is  expected  that  week  and  Capt.  Smith  is  daily 
expected  at  Guttenberg  with  a  full  load  of  emigrants — his  new  boat 
having  been  chartered  at  Cincinnati  for  that  purpose.  At  this  time 
A.  Kinney  reports  that  the  road  between  Monona  and  the  state  line  is 
thronged  with  new  comers,  and  that  the  public  houses  are  literally 
crammed  full  every  night. 

Political  Affairs — In  1854,  Clayton  county  was  first  honored  by 
the  nomination  of  one  of  its  citizens  for  a  state  office.  Hon.  Eliphalet 
Price  was  nominated  by  the  Whigs  for  state  treasurer.  In  a  letter  full 
of  wit  Mr.  Price  declines  the  nomination  and  he  states  that  he  can- 
not live  on  a  salary  of  $400  a  year,  which  is  $100  less  than  is 
paid  the  treasurer  of  Clayton  county.  The  election,  held  April,  1854, 
resulted  as  follows:  Superintendent,  J.  D.  Eads,  331;  I.  I.  Stewart, 
281 :  Clerk,  R.  R.  Read,  506;  E.  H.  Hiett,  183;  School  Fund  Commis- 
sioner, H.  S.  Granger,  938;  Drainage  Commissioner,  Joseph 
McSperrin,  41 ;  David  Mann,  23. 

Dr.  F.  Andros  was  at  this  time  appointed  as  Government  physi- 
cian to  the  Winnebago  Indians  in  Minnesota  and' the  Minnesota  News 
tells  of  his  journey  as  follows:  "Our  old  friend  Dr.  Andros,  Garno- 
villo,  Iowa,  arrived  in  this  city  Saturday  last,  having  traveled  through 
from  Iowa  on  the  west  side  of  the  Mississippi  with  a  span  of  horses 
and  a  buggy.  This  is,  we  believe,  the  first  overland  trip  which  has 
ever  been  made  with  a  team  on  this  route.  With  the  exception  of  one 
night,  spent  at  Chatfield  they  had  camp  fare  the  entire  distance.  They 
saw  only  one  human  being  between  Chatfield  and  Mendota,  and  that 
one  was  an  Indian." 

Annals  of  1854. — It  is  reported  that  "stock  of  every  kind  is  selling 
at  unprecedented  prices.  There  has  been  quite  an  active  demand  for 
work  cattle  and  milch  cows  for  the  country  north  of  us,  and  some  are 
to  be  taken  as  high  up  as  the  great  bend  of  the  St.  Peters.  Working 
oxen  are  selling  at  from  $100  to  $125  per  yoke;  cows  from  $25  to  $40; 
and  as  for  horses,  there  is  no  use  naming  a  price,  for  neither  love  nor 
money  will  hardly  buy  one."  Another  glimpse  of  the  prosperity  of 
the  time  is  found  in  an  item  relating  to  river  traffic.  It  says,  "persons 
have  to  remain  in  our  river  towns  a  week  before  they  can  get  passage 
for  themselves  and  a  small  lot  of  freight.  Every  boat  that  comes  up 
is  loaded  to  the  guards  with  freight,  and  crowded  with  passengers. 
Emigration  to  and  through  this  county  has  never  before  been  equal 
to  this  season.  Real  estate  is  constantly  changing  hands.  The  emi- 
grants appear  to  be  well  off  in  this  world's  goods  and  of  the  right  stamp 
for  a  new  country." 

The  Democrats  had  the  only  effective  political  organization  in  the 
county  prior  to  1854.  At  their  convention  held  at  Garnavillo,  May  13, 
Thomas  L.  Freeman  was  chairman  and  H.  S.  Granger,  secretary ;  dele- 


96  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

gates  elected  to  the  congressional  convention  were  J.  P.  Kreibs,  A.  C. 
Woodworth,  Jacob  Hoarsch,  Daniel  Lowe,  S.  R.  Peet  and  B.  F.  Fox ; 
senatorial  delegates  were  Maturin  L.  Fisher,  Thomas  L.  Freeman,  and 
Harvey  Egbert.  In  June,  1854,  appears  the  announcement  and  pre- 
mium list  for  the  first  county  fair  to  be  held  in  October.  Premiums 
were  offered  for  grains,  vegetables,  fruits,  butter,  cheese  and  live  stock. 
There  were  also  premiums  for  the  best  plow  and  the  best  wagon  manu- 
factured in  the  county  and  also  for  the  best  woolen  cloth  and  woolen 
yarns  made  in  Clayton  county. 

In  June,  1854,  the  county  was  shocked  by  an  attack  upon  Sheriff 
Drips,  who  was  knocked  senseless  on  the  deck  of  the  boat  Henrietta 
when  he  attempted  to  serve  papers  on  the  officers  at  McGregor.  He 
was  set  adrift  on  a  log  raft  near  Clayton  and  might  have  died  but 
for  three  passengers  who  left  the  boat  and  rescued  him.  A  new  post- 
office  was  established  at  Grand  Meadow,  with  Lynus  Edson  as  post- 
master. Guttenberg  was  growing  very  fast ;  among  the  improvements 
were  a  three-story  warehouse  by  the  Messrs.  Fleck  and  a  large  stone 
store  building  by  Mr.  Alburtus.  New  stores  on  Front  street  were  a 
cigar  store,  C.  Scherling's  harness  shop,  Falkenhainer's  hardware  store, 
Schmee  &  Nolte's  general  store  and  Ceilfus'  clothing  store.  At 
McGregor  things  were  booming.  It  is  stated  that  there  were,  at  one 
time,  150  wagons  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  waiting  to  cross. 
The  boat  running  between  McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien  was  taken 
down  to  assist,  and  even  then  the  emigrants  could  not  be  taken 
across  as  fast  as  they  arrived  on  the  opposite  shore.  A  settler  living  on 
the  main  road  from  McGregor  to  the  back  country  counted,  in  one 
week,  329  wagons,  1,456  head  of  cattle,  50  span  of  horses,  480  sheep, 
324  hogs  and  7  mules  passing  his  house  on  the  way  westward.  De- 
scribing this  great  rush  of  emigrants,  the  Crawford  County  (Wis.) 
Courier  says :  "There  is  a  ferry  across  the  Mississippi  some  five  miles 
below  here  called  the  Junction  ferry ;  there  is  a  ferry  plying  between 
the  lower  town  of  Prairie  du  Chien  and  McGregor;  there  is  still 
another  ferry  which  plies  between  the  upper  steamboat  landing  and 
a  point  below  the  mouth  of  Yellow  river.  Each  of  these  ferries 
employs  a  horse-boat  and  is  crowded  all  the  time  with  emigrants  for 
Iowa.  Some  times  the  emigrants  have  to  encamp  near  the  ferry  two  or 
three  days  to  await  their  chance  of  crossing  in  the  order  of  their 
arrival.  They  come  in  crowds  a  mile  long — they  come  with  wagon- 
loads  of  household  fixings,  with  droves  of  cattle  and  flocks  of  sheep — 
they  come  from  every  land  that  ever  sent  an  adventurer  westward,  and 
the  cry  is  'still  they  come.' "  It  is  no  wonder  that  with  such  an  oncom- 
ing tide  of  settlers  bringing  wealth  of  all  kinds  with  them  that  times  in 
Clayton  county  were  prosperous. 

Among  the  interesting  items  in  the  Herald  of  June  30,  1854,  are 
the  following:  B.  F.  Forbes  is  improving  the  Western  hotel;  Mr. 
Keen  has  succeeded  in  running  his  steamboat  down  Turkey  river  as 
far  as  the  dam  at  Hasting's  bottom  and  back  to  Elkader.  The  sheriff 
has  recovered  and  has  amicably  arranged  his  difficulties  with  the  offi- 
cers of  the  boat.  There  are  now  three  sawmills  on  Buck  creek — 
Forbes',  Coming's  and  Clark's ;  a  steam  mill  at  Guttenberg  and  one  at 
Clayton,  and  McCloud's  and  Sturm's  on  Sny  Magill.     The  Lutheran 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  97 

congregation  at  Garnavillo  installed  the  first  church  bell  in  the  county 
and  are  erecting  a  parsonage  for  their  preacher,  who  is  just  returning 
from  Chicago  with  his  bride.  P.  F.  Walton  was  murdered  by  a  knife 
wound  by  John  White  at  McGregor. 

ANTI-SLAVERY  AGITATION 

The  first  mention  of  the  great  controversy  concerning  slavery 
which  was  to  divide  the  North  and  South  appears  in  a  little  item  on 
July  14,  1854,  to  the  effect  that  "a  convention  of  the  people  of  Clay- 
ton county  opposed  to  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  will  be 
held  at  Elkader  tomorrow  at  i  o'clock." 

On  July  7  the  democrats  held  their  county  convention  at  Gutten- 
berg;  for  candidates  for  the  legislature  the  vote  stood:  Lafayette 
Bigelow,  19;  Thomas  L.  Freeman  (whose  death  occurred  three  days 
later),  8;  John  T.  Kriebs,  7;  S.  R.  Peet,  16,  and  J.  W.  Potts,  8.  Bige- 
low and  Peet  were  declared  the  nominees.  Robert  R.  Read  was  the 
unanimous  nominee  for  clerk.  The  "Anti-Nebraska"  convention,  held 
at  Elkader,  was  attended  by  more  than  200,  fifteen  townships  being 
represented.  J.  T.  H.  Scott  presided.  Speeches  were  made  by  Tim- 
othy Davis,  Reuben  Noble  and  E.  H.  Williams.  Lafayette  Bigelow 
and  Reuben  Noble  were  nominated  for  the  legislature. 

FIRST  RESOLUTIONS 

The  preamble  of  the  resolutions  stated:  "We,  citizens  of  Clayton 
county,  recognizing  each  other  as  members  of  different  political  creeds, 
have  assembled  here  in  mass  convention  upon  the  common  platform 
of  freedom  to  demand  a  restoration  of  that  freedom  bequeathed  to 
the  territories  of  Nebraska  and  Kansas  by  the  solemn  act  of  our  fore- 
fathers. Resolved,  that  the  repeal  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  has 
aroused  and  strengthened  the  slave  power  of  the  South,  who  are  now 
demanding  a  repeal  of  the  act  of  congress  prohibiting  the  importation 
of  slaves  from  Africa,  and  who  in  their  late  triumphant  exaltation 
unhesitatingly  proclaim  that  slavery  is  the  natural  condition  of  a  por- 
tion of  mankind,  and  that  it  is  destined,  slowly,  but  with  certainty, 
to  override  the  free  institutions  of  the  Union  wherever  they  may  exist. 
That  from  this  time  forward  we  will  make  no  concession  to,  nor  com- 
promises with,  the  institution  of  slavery,  but  will  demand,  and  con- 
tinue to  demand  of  our  law-making  representatives,  until  obtained,  a 
restoration  of  the  Missouri  Compromise  and  a  repeal  of  the  Fugitive 
Slave  Law.  That  we  will  support  no  man  for  public  office — let  him 
be  called  Whig,  Democrat  or  Abolitionist — who  is  opposed  to  the 
restoration  of  freedom  to  the  territories  of  Nebraska  and  Kansas.  We 
request  the  nominees  of  this  convention  to  stump  the  county.  We 
absolve  ourselves  from  all  issues  of  the  different  political  parties  with 
which  we  have  formerly  acted,  and  do  now  unite  upon  the  common 
platform  of  freedom  to  all  mankind." 

A  Clayton  county  vigilance  committee  was  appointed  and  con- 
sisted of  the  following  members  :  V.  R.  Miller,  Mendon  ;  Clark  Wood, 
Farmersburg ;  A.  L.  Fuller,  Boardman ;  C.  P.  Goodrich,  Jeft'erson ;  F. 


98  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Hartge,  Volga ;  Jonathan  Noble,  Lodomillo ;  Dr.  Dunn,  Sperry ;  J.  C, 
Tremain,  Cass ;  D.  M,  Zearley,  Elk ;  H.  L.  Schutte,  Garnavillo ;  John 
Beady,  Grand  Meadow  ;  B.  White,  Buena  Vista  ;  L.  V.  Collins,  Girard  ; 
M.  Stahl,  Wagner ;  J.  Robbins,  Highland ;  A.  Clark,  Cox  Creek ;  Alva 
C.  Rogers,  Clayton ;  Joseph  McSperrin,  Mallory ;  J.  W.  Griffith,  Mill- 
ville ;  P.  P.  Olmstead,  Monona,  J.  J.  Kinzel  and  E.  H.  Williams  were 
the  secretaries  of  this  convention.  Thus  spoke  the  voice  of  freemen 
for  freedom.  Ofif  in  the  prairies  and  the  woods  of  Iowa,  their  daily 
lives  unaffected,  they,  nevertheless,  200  of  them,  left  their  homes  and 
farms  to  issue  this  ringing  declaration  for  liberty.  These  names,  each 
and  all  of  them,  should  be  inscribed  upon  the  roll  of  honor  of  Clayton 
county.  That  this  was  the  birth  of  the  Republican  party  in  Clayton 
county  is  incidental,  for,  while  others  were  slow  to  be  aroused,  within 
a  few  years  the  whole  county  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  fighting 
together  for  liberty  and  union,  with  partisanship  thrown  to  the  winds. 
Mr.  Bigelow  had  already  been  nominated  by  the  Democrats,  but  his 
views  were  satisfactory  to  the  convention.  Reuben  Noble  following 
the  instructions  of  the  convention  that  its  nominees  should  stump  the 
county,  at  once  issued  a  list  of  appointments,  speaking  at  fourteen 
points  in  the  county. 

Grand  Meadow  Meeting — The  honor  of  holding  the  first  conven- 
tion opposing  the  extension  of  slavery  must,  however,  be  accorded  to 
Grand  Meadow.  A  meeting  composed  of  citizens  of  Fayette,  Winne- 
shiek, Allamakee  and  Clayton  counties  was  held  in  Grand  Meadow 
township,  near  Postville,  on  July  8.  John  Laughlin  was  president  and 
G.  L.  Henderson  secretary.  Stirring  resolutions  were  adopted,  includ- 
ing the  following:  "That  as  the  people  of  the  state  of  Iowa  have 
declared  in  the  first  article  of  their  constitution  that  all  men  are  by 
nature  free  and  equal,  we  are  solemnly  bound  to  stand  by  these  declara- 
tions, come  what  may,  by  refusing  to  recognize  the  existence  of  any 
man  as  a  slave  upon  the  soil  of  Iowa.  That  that  which  is  not  just  is 
not  law  and  that  which  is  not  law  ought  not  to  be  obeyed;  there- 
fore the  Fugitive  Slave  Law  is  deserving  of  neither  obedience  nor 
respect.  We  earnestly  solicit  all  true  Republicans  to  unite  with  us 
for  the  purpose  of  electing  such  men  as  will  vote  for  and  maintain 
the  principles  contained  in  these  resolutions."  In  these  resolutions  the 
word  "republican"  as  appHed  to  a  political  party  appears  for  the  first 
time  in  print  in  Clayton  county. 

H.  S.  Granger,  editor  of  the  Herald  had  been  a  Democrat,  but 
he  stated  editorially  that  "animation  can  never  be  restored  to  the  two 
great  parties  until  the  seed  of  corruption  becomes  completely  eradi- 
cated from  what  is  now  known  as  free  territory,  and  until  it  becomes 
completely  walled  and  hedged  in  to  its  own  legitimate  and  constitu- 
tional limits.  Its  (slavery's)  origin  is  most  clearly  traced  to  the  devil 
himself,  and  hence  it  is  full  of  iniquity,  and  justice  demands  Congress 
to  say,  'Thus  far  shalt  thou  come,  and  no  farther.' " 

Curtis  Bates  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Governor,  Stephen 
Hempstead  for  Congress  and  David  S.  Wilson  for  state  Senator.  On 
the  Anti-Nebraska  ticket  James  W.  Grimes  was  the  candidate  for 
Governor,  James  Thorington  for  Congress  and  W.  W.  Hamilton  for 
state  Senator.     O.  F.  Stevens  was  the  Anti-Nebraska  candidate  for 


PROGRESS    AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  99 

prosecuting  attorney.  The  campaign  was  bitterly  contested  and  the 
result  in  Clayton  county  was  as  follows :  A  sweeping  victory  for  the 
Anti-Nebraska  party ;  for  Governor,  J.  W.  Grimes  687,  Curtis  Bates 
332;  Congress,  James  Thorington  694,  Stephen  Hempstead  329;  Sen- 
ator, W.  W.  Hamilton  689,  D.  S.  Wilson  310;  Representative,  L.  Bige- 
low  743,  R.  Noble  726,  S.  R.  Peet  340. 

Current  Events — In  August,  1854,  two  of  the  prominent  citizens 
of  the  county  became  involved  in  a  personal  altercation,  as  the  result 
of  which  Harrison  Boardman  inflicted  two  serious  knife  wounds  upon 
John  Garber.  Boardman  attempted  to  escape,  but  was  captured  and 
Garber  was  taken  to  the  public  house  kept  by  Mr.  Killam.  Mr.  Garber 
afterward  recovered.  On  August  11,  H.  S.  Granger  sold  the  Garna- 
villo  Herald  to  A.  W.  Drips,  who  had  been  associated  with  him  for 
some  time  as  a  printer.  Mr.  Drips  continued  the  Herald  and  made  it 
a  splendid  newspaper,  considering  the  times  and  the  opportunities. 
He  was  always  loyal  to  his  friends  and  to  the  community.  Starting 
with  limited  means,  it  is  fairly  pitiful  to  see  the  brave  struggle  he  made 
to  be  cheerful  and  optimistic  as  the  hard  times  of  the  succeeding  years 
closed  in  on  him.  He  was  one  of  the  bright,  brave  spirits  of  the  pioneer 
days  and  did  his  full  share  for  the  development  of  Clayton  county. 

County  Improvements — The  county  finances  of  this  time  were 
in  excellent  condition,  the  outstanding  warrants  amounting  to  but  $1,- 
546.70,  which  Judge  Williams  declared  would  be  entirely  wiped  out 
by  the  taxes  of  1854.  The  persistence  of  the  Germans  at  Guttenberg 
finally  won  out,  for  the  Herald  says :  "We  understand  that  an  addi- 
tional force  has  been  put  to  work  on  the  bridge  at  Judge  Pearson's 
place  and  we  hope  soon  to  hear  of  the  rapid  progress  of  the  work." 
At  the  same  time  the  citizens  of  Clayton  were  busy  building  a  road 
through  their  hills  to  the  back  country,  Alva  C.  Rogers,  Frank  Smith 
and  John  M.  Ballou  being  the  committee  who  advertised  for  bids  for 
this  work.  Among  the  evidences  of  increased  growth  were  the  estab- 
lishment of  a  new  mill  route  from  Delhi  to  Garnavillo  via  Colesburg; 
the  opening  of  a  new  postoffice,  called  High  Grove,  between  Elkader 
and  Highland,  with  Capt.  A.  H.  Pool  as  postmaster ;  the  establishment 
of  a  new  stage  line,  leaving  Dubuque  on  Monday,  Wednesday  and 
Friday,  and  arriving  at  Garnavillo  the  same  day.  Among  the  improve- 
ments noted  at  Garnavillo  is  a  dwelling  by  Mr.  Spicer,  the  new  office 
of  Noble  and  Granger,  located  next  to  the  Herald  office,  an  addition 
to  the  hotel,  the  new  Odd  Fellows  hall  and  the  residences  of  Mr. 
Kurd,  Dr.  Linton  and  the  Lutheran  parsonage. 

First  County  Fair — The  first  county  fair  in  Clayton  county  was 
held  Oct.  3,  1854,  just  three  weeks  before  the  first  Iowa  state  fair. 
The  praise  given  for  this  first  fair  by  the  Herald  was  but  faint.  Among 
the  ladies  making  exhibits  were  Mrs.  P.  M.  Potter,  Mrs.  Drips,  Mrs. 
J.  B.  Sargeant,  Mrs.  A.  B.  Scott  of  Clayton,  Miss  Lizzie  Oldes  and 
Mrs.  E.  H.  Williams.  Mrs.  Murdock  and  Miss  Drips  won  prizes  in 
the  preserved  fruit  department.  The  prize  baby  was  Mary  Stella, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  E.  W.  H.  Jacobs,  of  Clayton.  Prizes  for 
grain  were  won  as  follows:  Wheat,  George  Pearson;  barley,  Wm. 
Schulte  ;  corn  and  potatoes,  Michael  Uriell. 

Marts  and  Markets — A  statement  of  the  amount  of  wheat  pur- 


100  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

chased  for  the  season  at  Elkader  shows  that  Thompson  &  Davis  bought 
44,000  bushels,  at  an  average  cost  of  65  cents ;  Freeman  &  Lawrence, 
7,000  bushels,  at  an  average  cost  of  80  cents,  and  E.  G.  Rolf,  1,109 
bushels  at  75  cents,  making  a  total  of  $35,031.75  paid  at  Elkader.  The 
Herald  believes  Clayton  purchased  twice  that  amount.  Describing  a 
journey  through  the  county,  the  editor  says  of  Elkader:  "We  found 
everybody  busy  and  business  of  all  kinds  thriving.  The  foundry,  we 
learn,  is  doing  a  very  large  amount  of  work.  Squire  Rolf  and  Carter 
&  Co.  are  doing  a  heavy  business.  Some  idea  may  be  formed  of  the 
mercantile  business  transacted  in  Elkader  when  we  state  that  since 
the  1st  of  April  last  there  were  sold  nearly  $100,000  worth  of  goods. 
Elkader  has  a  cabinet-maker's  shop,  a  chair  and  bedstead  factory,  tin- 
ner's shop,  dauguerrean  saloon,  etc.  The  new  store  of  Mr.  Rolf, 
the  brick  store  of  Freeman  &  Lawrence  and  the  stone  building  of 
Hobson  &  Davis  are  all  handsome,  durable  structures."  The  Herald 
of  Sept.  29  also  notes  that  D.  G.  Rogers  has  sold  the  brick  store  at 
Garnavillo  to  C.  W.  Hagensick  &  Co.  and  that  Rogers  goes  to  Clayton 
to  conduct  business  under  the  firm  name  of  Rogers  &  Stoddard. 

Miscellaneous  Events — The  Methodist  appointments  for  the  county 
are  given  as  follows :  Garnavillo,  Joseph  Cameron ;  Hardin,  Isaac 
Newton ;  Elkader  Mission,  Charles  M.  Session.  By  this  time  deer 
were  scarce  enough  to  be  worthy  of  newspaper  mention,  and  it  is 
noted  that  H.  H.  Chesnut  of  Clayton  township  killed  a  fine  buck 
weighing  209  pounds.  In  October  a  postofifice  at  Giard  was  established, 
with  Isaac  Mathew  as  postmaster.  Clayton  shows  great  business  activ- 
ity, G.  Douglas  was  doing  good  business  with  a  sash  and  door  factory ; 
L.  Hodges  conducted  the  "Gothic  Hotel;"  Nicholas  Kriebs,  J.  G. 
Jerome,  Rogers  &  Stoddard,  Clark,  Rogers  &  Co.  and  Frank  Smith 
&  Co.  are  mentioned  among  the  merchants.  The  shipments  of  grain 
from  Clayton  are  given  as :  Wheat  62,000  bushels,  oats  24,000  bushels, 
barley  5,000  bushels,  corn  9,000  bushels.  From  April  i  to  October  25, 
1854,  there  were  508  steamboat  arrivals,  to  which  were  sold  2,400  cords 
of  wood  and  which  landed  2,200  passengers.  The  steam  sawmill 
employed  ten  hands,  and  there  were  other  industries,  all  of  which 
w^ere  booming.  Concerning  Guttenberg,  there  are  the  following  items : 
A  steam  sawmill  was  burned  to  the  ground  the  latter  part  of  October, 
but  will  be  rebuilt  at  the  mouth  of  Miners'  creek ;  Fleck  &  Bros,  bought 
during  the  season  15,000  bushels  of  wheat,  2,500  bushels  of  oats,  1,500 
bushels  of  corn,  7,000  bushels  of  barley,  1,500  bushels  of  potatoes, 
3,000  dozen  eggs  at  9  cents  per  dozen,  9,000  pounds  of  butter  and  other 
produce.  The  leading  exports  were  300,000  pounds  and  the  price  be- 
tween $4  and  $6  per  hundred,  2,000  cords  of  wood  were  sold  to  steam- 
boats during  the  season.  In  the  fall  of  1854  began  the  great  slump 
in  prices  which  presaged  the  hard  times  of  the  succeeding  years.  The 
price  of  wheat  at  Clayton  fell  20  cents  in  a  single  week,  and  the  market 
quotations  for  Nov.  17,  1854,  at  Clayton,  were:  Wheat  55  cents  to 
60  cents,  oats  20  cents,  barley  $1,  corn  25  cents,  shelled  30  cents,  butter 
18  cents,  eggs  10  cents. 

Mention  is  made  of  the  new  town  of  Highland,  11  miles  west  of 
Elkader.  It  is  said  that  this  town  was  laid  out  by  A.  W.  Holbrock 
in  the  summer  of  1854.     It  had  a  public  house,  a  store  and  a  post- 


PROGRESS  ANU  POVERTY — 185O-1860  10 1 

office,  and  other  buildings  were  contemplated.  A  semi-weekly  stage 
from  Elkader  to  West  Union,  passing  through  High  Grove,  Highland 
and  Elyria,  afforded  the  mail  service.  Judge  Williams  appointed  B. 
F.  Schroeder  as  swamp  land  commissioner,  and  the  swamp  lands  were 
offered  for  sale  in  January,  1855. 

Clayton  a  State  Power — The  election,  at  which  the  free  soil  men 
of  Clayton  county  rallied  in  such  force,  bore  important  fruit.  In 
Congress  no  voice  from  Iowa  had  been  raised  against  the  extension 
of  slavery  until  James  Harlan  and  James  Thorington  took  their  seats. 
Elected  by  a  union  of  the  free  soil,  Whigs  and  Abolitionists,  they 
were  the  first  Iowa  Congressmen  to  oppose  the  growing  aggression  of 
the  slavery  power.  The  fifth  General  Assembly,  which  met  at  Iowa 
City,  was  one  of  the  most  important  sessions  of  an  Iowa  legislature, 
and  Clayton  county  had  the  honor  of  having  the  presiding  officer  both 
in  the  House  and  in  the  Senate.  Maturin  L.  Fisher  of  Farmersburg, 
a  Democrat,  was  elected  president  of  the  Senate,  and  Reuben  Noble  of 
Garnavillo,  was  speaker  of  the  House.  It  so  happened  that  Mr.  Noble, 
as  speaker,  played  a  very  important  role  in  the  election  of  the  United 
States  Senator.  Gue's  History  of  Iowa  gives  the  following  story  of 
this  exciting  contest:  "On  the  13th  of  December  the  General  As- 
sembly met  in  joint  convention  to  elect  a  United  States  Senator.  Two 
ballots  were  taken  without  an  election,  when  the  convention  adjourned 
till,  the  next  day,  at  which  time  the  convention  adjourned  to  the  21st, 
without  taking  a  vote  on  the  election  of  Senator.  A.  C.  Dodge  and 
Edward  Johnston  received  the  votes  of  most  of  the  Democrats,  while 
the  Whig  and  Free  Soil  members  divided  their  votes  among  seven 
candidates,  the  most  prominent  of  which  were  Fitz  Henry  Warren, 
James  B.  Howell,  Ebenezer  Cook  and  James  Harlan.  On  the  21st 
three  votes  were  taken  for  Senator.  On  the  third  ballot  Harlan  had 
37  votes.  Dodge  43,  Cook  7.  On  the  fifth  ballot  Harlan  received  45 
votes.  Cook  44,  scattering  8.  The  Democrats,  being  in  a  minority,  had 
no  chance  to  elect  a  member  of  their  own  party,  and  as  Cook  was  a 
conservative  Whig  and  Harlan  a  Free  Soil  Whig,  most  of  them,  on 
the  fifth  ballot,  voted  for  Cook,  hoping  to  elect  him  over  Harlan.  The 
convention  now  adjourned  to  January  5.  On  the  seventh  ballot  Harlan 
received  47  votes.  Cook  29,  W.  D.  Browning  19.  The  convention  then 
decided  to  proceed  to  the  election  of  Supreme  Judges.  After  several 
ballots  were  taken  .without  an  election  the  convention  adjourned  to 
the  next  day,  when  the  Senate  (which  was  Democratic)  met  and,  by 
strict  party  vote,  adjourned  to  Monday,  to  avoid  meeting  the  House 
in  joint  convention  at  the  time  agreed  upon,  proposing  thus  to  inval- 
idate any  election  that  might  be  made.  When  the  time  arrived  to 
which  the  joint  convention  had  adjourned,  the  Whig  Senators  entered 
the  House  and  Reuben  Noble,  as  speaker,  announced  that  the  joint 
convention  was  then  in  session.  Mr.  Samuels  raised  the  point  that 
the  convention  was  not  properly  convened ;  Mr.  Noble  overruled  the 
point  and  ordered  the  roll  called.  Most  of  the  Democratic  members 
absented  themselves  or  refused  to  answer  to  the  call.  Fifty-seven 
members  answered,  however,  making  a  majority  of  the  joint  conven- 
tion. The  president  of  the  Senate,  Mr.  Fisher,  being  absent,  W.  W. 
Hamilton  was  elected  to  fill  the  position.    A  vote  was  then  taken  for 


102  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

United  States  Senator.    James  Harlan  received  52  votes  to  four  scat- 
tering and  was  declared  elected  for  six  years,  from  March  4,  1855." 

It  was  thus  that  the  little  mass  convention  called  at  Elkader  con- 
tributed to  the  election  of  the  first  Senator  from  Iowa  who  dared  to 
stand  up  and  fight  against  the  extension  of  slavery. 

Among  the  other  important  acts  of  this  legislature,  both  branches 
of  which  were  presided  over  by  men  from  Clayton  county,  were  the 
location  of  the  state  capital  at  Des  Moines ;  provision  for  a  state 
geological  survey ;  the  establishment  of  an  asylum  for  the  deaf  and 
dumb;  a  prohibitory  liquor  law,  and  the  establishment  of  a  state  land 
office. 

Approach  of  Hard  Times — Clayton  county  began  the  year  1856 
with  a  glad  heart  and  strong  courage.  Happily  the  dark  clouds  of 
the  future  were  concealed  from  them.  Crops  had  been  bountiful,  all 
of  their  little  towns  had  been  prospering,  the  tide  of  immigration  had 
not  been  checked,  new  men  and  new  money  were  constantly  coming, 
prices  were  fair  and  the  currency  was  still  reliable  and  at  par.  Among 
the  items  of  the  year-end  may  be  noted  the  following:  "McGregor  is 
improving  fast.  A  large  steam  sawmill  is  being  erected  by  Jones, 
Bass  &  Freck.  Mr.  McGregor  is  putting  up  a  large  building  intended 
for  a  warehouse.  There  are  three  public  houses  and  three  stores 
doing  a  general  merchandising  business ;  a  wholesale  and  retail  grocery, 
owned  by  W.  H.  Baker,  a  bakery,  a  tin  shop,  two  blacksmith  shops  and 
a  carpenter  shop.  McGregor's  ferry  connections  make  it  a  desirable 
landing  for  emigrants  from  the  East,  and  it  has  a  better  natural  road 
through  the  country  than  any  of  our  river  towns.  Business  is  brisk 
at  Elkader,  E.  Boardman,  Jr.,  has  leased  the  Elkader  house;  Mr. 
Clark  is  now  merchandising  in  the  building  formerly  occupied  by  Free- 
man &  Lawrence ;  Mr.  Espy  is  in  the  new  brick  store  at  the  end  of 
the  bridge,  and  R.  Freeman  is  doing  a  land  agency  business ;  Emerson 
&  Border  have  the  contract  for  carrying  mail  three  times  a  week  from 
Dubuque  to  Gamavillo  and  hope  to  establish  a  daily  route  to  Decorah. 
There  is  a  semi-weekly  mail  to  Clayton,  the  citizens  of  Clayton  paying 
for  one  trip  and  the  government  for  the  other ;  a  contract  for  a  bridge 
over  Little  Turkey  at  Millville  has  been  let,  owing  to  the  enterprise 
of  B.  White ;  Monona  is  to  have  a  steam  sawmill.  Rogers  &  Stoddard 
of  Clayton  have  commenced  work  on  a  large  steam  flour  mill.  Large 
steam  saw  and  flouring  mills  are  to  be  erected  at  Guttenberg.  The 
new  warehouse  of  Beckman  &  Co.  is  completed.  Eighteen  bushels  of 
wheat  to  the  acre  was  reported  to  be  the  average  yield,  and  George 
Pearson  had  a  yield  of  120  bushels  on  four  acres.  The  population  of 
the  county,  according  to  the  census  of  1854,  was  9,337  and  the  num- 
ber of  voters  1,689." 

The  first  note  of  the  approaching  hard  times  is  found  in  an  edi- 
torial in  the  Herald  of  Jan.  26,  1855,  in  which  it  states  that  "from 
one  end  of  the  East  to  the  other  the  cry  is  of  distress  and  hard  times. 
That  we  feel  somewhat  the  pressure  of  the  times  we  do  not  deny." 
Among  the  other  items  of  this  issue  are  the  following:  That  Dr.  F. 
Andros  is  a  member  of  the  Minnesota  legislature;  that  S.  Murdock 
will  give  a  lecture  in  the  courthouse,  subject,  "The  Earth;"  that  the 
agricultural  society  will  meet  and  that  a  daily  stage  line  is  proposed 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  IO3 

between  Clayton  and  West  Union  via  Elkader.  This  paper  also  men- 
tions the  wonderful  discovery  that  paper  can  be  made  of  wood  pulp. 
The  county  seat  question  was  again  agitated  and  L.  Bigelow,  as  rep- 
resentative, reports  that  272  citizens  have  asked  that  the  county  seat 
be  fixed  by  the  legislature,  that  448  citizens  asked  that  commissioners 
be  appointed  to  relocate  and  in  case  the  county  seat  is  changed  that 
an  election  is  first  held,  while  407  other  citizens  remonstrate  against 
the  appointment  of  commissioners  and  ask  that  an  election  be  held. 
Under  the  circumstances  Mr.  Bigelow  throws  up  his  hands  and  decides 
to  do  nothing.  Timothy  Davis  presided  at  a  meeting  at  Elkport  at 
which  it  was  resolved  to  raise  the  funds  and  to  build  a  bridge  across 
the  Volga.  Samuel  Murdock  at  this  time  announced  his  candidacy 
for  district  judge. 

Despite  the  hard  times  which  were  creeping  over  the  nation  from 
east  to  west,  Clayton  county,  with  its  ever  increasing  tide  of  immigra- 
tion, continued  to  prosper  during  the  year  1855 ;  all  of  the  towns 
increased  in  population,  and  especially  was  this  true  of  the  river  towns, 
which  grew  rapidly  in  importance.  Clayton  and  McGregor  received 
the  greatest  benefit  from  the  transient  immigrant  trade  and  attracted 
much  eastern  capital.  During  this  year  Eliphalet  Price  succeeded  E. 
H.  Williams  as  county  judge;  the  other  county  officers  were  Benjamin 
F.  Fox,  recorder  and  treasurer ;  Robert  R.  Reed,  clerk ;  H.  S.  Granger, 
school  fund  commissioner;  Nicholas  Kriebs,  coroner;  Murray  E. 
Smith,  surveyor;  James  Davis,  sheriff;  O.  F.  Stevens,  attorney.  Polit- 
ically the  lines  between  the  Democrats  and  the  new  party  which  was 
rapidly  forming  were  more  sharply  drawn,  the  new  party  being  in 
the  ascendency  in  the  county.  Eliphalet  Price  was  president  of  the 
agricultural  society  for  1855,  and  a  second  fair  was  held  which  was 
more  successful  than  the  first.  The  amount  given  in  premiums  at  the 
first  fair  was  $29;  for  the  second  fair  the  premiums  amounted  to 
$229.75. 

Elkader  Wins  County  Seat — Elkader  had  been  growing  both  in 
population  and  ambition,  and  its  friends  circulated  a  petition  asking 
for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  to  Elkader.  This  petition  was 
signed  by  950  voters.  The  Elkaderites  also  founded  a  newspaper, 
called  the  Tribune,  to  aid  in  the  fight  for  the  county  seat  and  the 
columns  of  the  newspapers  at  Garnavillo  and  Elkader  were  filled  with 
bitter  editorials  and  contributed  articles.  The  Tribune  was  branded 
as  the  "organ"  of  the  "Company"  and  said  to  have  been  established 
simply  to  boom  Elkader.  The  Elkader  advocates  issued  a  challenge 
for  joint  debates,  and  this  challenge  was  accepted  by  Reuben  Noble, 
who  agreed  to  meet  them  at  McGregor,  Monona,  Clayton  and  Gutten- 
burg.  There  is  no  record  that  these  meetings  were  held,  and  the 
election  took  place  in  April  and  resulted  in  favor  of  Elkader  by  the 
following  vote:  Elkader  1,135,  Garnavillo  964.  Guttenburg  people 
voted  almost  solidly  for  Garnavillo,  thus  paving  the  way  for  a  peti- 
tion, notice  of  which  was  published  on  May  2,  asking  for  another 
election,  as  between  Elkader  and  Guttenburg.  Judge  Price  immedi- 
ately issued  the  order  for  the  removal  of  the  county  seat  and  stated 
that  he  had  procured  suitable  rooms  for  the  district  court  and  that 
the  county  court  would  close  at  Garnavillo  on  Thursday,  May  i,  1856, 


I04  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

and  open  at  Elkader  on  the  following  Monday.  At  the  April  election 
the  vote  was  also  taken  on  the  "hog  law,"  which  was  defeated  by  a 
vote  of  6i6  for  restraint  and  799  against.  A  school  fund  commis- 
sioner was  also  elected,  there  being  three  candidates,  and  the  vote 
standing:  I.  Matthews  980,  J.  Nicklaus  522,  J.  O.  Crosby  432.  Mr. 
Matthews  removed  the  office  to  Giard. 

Read  and  Morasser  Townships — On  March  14,  1856,  Judge  Price 
gave  notice  of  the  establishment  of  two  new  townships ;  the  first.  Read, 
named  after  Robert  R.  Read,  with  the  election  to  be  held  at  the  house 
of  John  Barrett;  the  second,  Morasser,  which  was  to  embrace  all  of 
township  94,  range  6.  This  name  was  not  satisfactory  to  the  people, 
as  is  shown  by  the  fact  in  the  published  election  table  for  the  April 
election,  the  description  is  used  and  not  the  name.  It  is  related  that 
J.  C.  Rounds  was  bitterly  opposed  to  the  name  Morasser,  and  that 
he  made  an  agreement  with  Judge  Price  for  the  changing  of  the  name 
to  Marion,  the  consideration  being  that  the  vote  of  the  precinct  be 
delivered  to  Guttenburg  in  the  next  county  seat  contest.  It  is  stated, 
further,  that  Judge  Price  carried  out  his  part  of  the  agreement,  but 
that  at  the  election,  much  to  his  chagrin,  the  new  township  voted  solidly 
for  Elkader.  At  the  first  election  in  this  new  township  29  votes  were 
cast,  and  the  election  was  held  at  the  home  of  Ole  Olson.  Read 
township  cast  eighty  votes. 

Events  of  1856 — The  following  brief  mentions,  taken  from  the  files 
of  newspapers,  give  a  good  idea  of  the  activities  and  growth  of  the 
county  along  many  lines.  The  prominence  of  the  county  is  shown  by 
the  fact  that  Reuben  Noble  was  nominated  as  an  elector  at  large,  thus 
heading  the  first  Republican  state  ticket  ever  put  into  the  field, 
although,  on  account  of  private  business,  he  declined  to  be  a  candi- 
date. Squire  Peet  tells  of  the  establishment  of  Henry  (Honey)  Creek 
postoffice  five  miles  southeast  of  Littleport  with  Mr.  Marshall  as 
postmaster.  Yankee  Settlement  Center  is  the  name  of  a  new  town 
platted  by  Joseph  Gibson ;  it  is  reported  as  containing  a  tavern,  black- 
smith shop,  two  stores,  steam  sawmill,  two  doctors,  two  lawyers  and 
a  Congregational  church,  while  the  Methodists  are  building  a  church 
and  from  eight  to  ten  other  buildings  are  being  erected.  Mr.  Gibson 
did  everything  possible  to  promote  this  settlement,  giving  one  lot  free 
to  mechanics  and  selling  them  a  second  lot  at  from  five  to  ten  dollars. 
An  addition  to  the  town  of  Hardin  was  also  platted  and  lots  offered 
for  sale.  National  had  a  new  steam  mill,  owned  by  W.  H.  Harrah.  A 
new  postoffice  was  opened  at  Geisselman's  ferry,  on  the  Colesburg  and 
Garnavillo  mail  route.  From  Strawberry  Point  comes  a  report  of  a 
large  building  erected  by  Stearns  Bros. ;  that  a  church  and  schoolhouse 
are  being  built;  that  Tremain  and  Blake  occupy  the  former  Stearns* 
store,  and  a  Mr.  Pearse  has  established  a  daguerrean  parlor.  In  May, 
Robert  R.  Read  resigned  the  office  of  clerk  and  Judge  Price  appointed 
the  young  man,  Thomas  Updegraff,  as  his  successor.  This  was  the 
first  official  position  held  by  Mr.  Updegrafif,  who  for  many  years  was 
prominent  in  the  county  and  later,  as  a  member  of  Congress,  a  power- 
ful factor  in  state  and  nation.  His  biography  will  be  found  in  another 
chapter. 

Garnavillo  was  hard  hit  by  the  removal  of  the  county  seat.    Some 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  IO5 

wags  unfeelingly  rubbed  in  the  defeat  by  removing  the  stone  curb 
of  the  town  well  to  Elkader.  The  Herald  sees  no  fun  in  this  and 
waxes  indignant  over  the  outrage.  But  the  Herald  itself  was  obliged 
to  yield  to  circumstances,  and  on  May  29,  1856,  it  makes  its  first 
appearance  at  Guttenburg  in  the  hope  that  it  will  soon  be  the  county 
seat.  A.  W.  Drips  continues  as  editor,  and  the  Herald  office  is 
located  in  the  Odd  Fellows  building.  A  new  town,  which  should 
not  be  omitted  from  the  list  of  the  many  established  in  the  county, 
was  that  of  Windsor,  in  Farmersburg  township.  This  was  laid  out 
by  J.  C.  Russell,  and  the  surveying  was  done  by  Truman  Beckwith. 
This  is  the  present  town  of  Farmersburg. 

Field  of  Bus{)iess — Perhaps  no  better  review  of  business  condi- 
tions in  the  county  can  be  gained  than  by  glancing  through  the  advertis- 
ing columns  of  the  county  newspaper.  Thenasnowenterprisingmerchants 
and  business  men  believed  in  publicity,  and  the  advertisements  form  a 
fairly  complete  directoryof  thebestbusinesshouses.  Thescarcityof  news- 
papers is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  advertisements  were  inserted  from 
many  towns.  In  March,  1856,  while  still  at  Garnavillo,  and  before  the 
removal  of  the  county  seat,  the  Herald  contains  the  following  business 
cards :  At  Garnavillo,  the  Garnavillo  hotel,  B.  F.  Forbes,  proprietor ; 
Jacob  Nicklaus,  notary;  Noble  &  Granger,  E.  H.  Williams,  Schuyler 
R.  Peet,  J.  O.  Crosby  and  Elijah  Odell,  attorneys ;  John  Linton,  physi- 
cian ;  R.  C.  Drips,  justice ;  O.  McCraney,  real  estate ;  Beach  &  Brown, 
shoemakers ;  Daniel  C.  Forbes,  tailor ;  E.  P.  Atkins,  grocer.  There 
are  ten  business  cards  from  Dubuque,  including  hotels  and  merchants. 
West  Union  and  St.  Louis  are  represented,  as  is  also  Galena.  Henry 
Gififord  advertises  grain  cradles  for  sale  at  Boardman's  grove,  three 
miles  east  of  Elkader.  Lots  are  offered  for  sale  in  Schroeder's  addi- 
tion to  Garnavillo  by  John  Barnes  and  O.  McCraney ;  Keumpel  and 
Stearns,  of  Clayton,  announce  their  cabinet,  chair  and  bedstead  factory ; 
Buell  Knapp  has  the  "Premium"  harness  shop,  over  Carter's  store 
at  Elkader ;  Barnes  and  Crawford,  of  Volney,  announce  the  dissolu- 
tion of  the  firm ;  Levi  Angier  asks  all  to  settle  up ;  James  L  Gilbert 
advertises  a  public  sale  of  stock ;  Leonard  B.  Hodges  offers  for  sale 
a  two-story  brick  house  in  Hardin,  also  one  hundred  building  lots  in 
that  town,  which  he  advertises  in  most  extravagant  terms.  There 
are  many  estray  notices,  one  of  which,  concerning  a  "Verirrte  Kuh," 
is  printed  in  German,  using  English  type.  The  fourth  page  of  the 
paper  is  entirely  devoted  to  advertisements.  Randall  &  Jones'  corn- 
planting  machines  are  boosted.  The  North  West  Express  Co.,  oper- 
ating teams  from  St.  Paul  to  Dubuque,  via  Decorah  and  Garnavillo, 
is  an  advertiser.  Among  the  Clayton  advertisers  are  J.  H.  &  William 
Grannis,  general  merchants ;  the  Clayton  foundry,  formerly  of  Elkader, 
run  by  Keen  Bros. ;  J.  A.  Brown,  furniture ;  Hoyt  &  Campbell,  wagon 
makers ;  Gark  &  Rogers,  J.  G.  Jerome  and  Frank  Smith  &  Co.,  general 
merchants.  R.  C.  MacKinney  &  Co.  have  a  furniture  store  at 
McGregor.  The  Guttenberg  advertisers  are  the  City  hotel,  formerly 
Gilmore  house,  by  J.  B.  Lahr;  G.  F.  Weist,  hardware;  Fleck  &  Bro., 
general  merchandise,  and  G.  Poetz,  cabinet  maker.  Alex.  McGregor 
inserts  a  half-column  concerning  the  advantages  of  his  ferry,  and 
directly  attacking  statements  made  by  Frank  Smith  &  Co.,  of  Clayton. 


I06  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

To  this  the  Clayton  firm  replies  in  a  still  longer  advertisement  accusing 
McGregor  of  misrepresentation  and  setting  forth  the  advantages  ot 
Clayton  as  a  ferry  point.  The  rivalry  between  these  two  towns  for 
the  immigrant  trade  is  well  illustrated  by  these  counter  statements. 
Among  the  other  stores  advertised  are  those  of  J.  S.  Belknap,  at 
Lodomillo,  and  of  A.  C.  Woodward  at  Volga  City.  Among  the  oddities 
is  the  advertisement  of  "French  shirt  bosoms,  excelling  all  others  in 
ease  of  ironing  and  durability.    For  sale  by  M.  L.  Wood." 

Dubuque  View  of  Clayton — In  the  spring  of  1856  Clayton  county 
was  visited  by  the  editors  of  the  Republican  and  of  the  Staats  Zeitungof 
Dubuque.  The  description  of  the  county  and  of  its  towns  is  very  flattering, 
and  a  portion  of  it  reads  as  follows :  'The  traveler  who  first  lands  in  Clay- 
ton county  at  Guttenberg,  and  seeks  to  penetrate  into  its  interior  from 
that  point,  at  first  encounters  nature  in  its  rough  and  primitive  ma j  esty .  He 
ascends  a  gigantic  bluff,  step  by  step,  until  he  attains  a  mountain 
elevation.  Then  at  his  feet  he  beholds  the  Mississippi,  dotted  with 
lovely  islands  and  sparkling  in  the  sun,  rolling  on  its  waste  of  waters 
to  the  sea.  Before  him  spreads  the  forest,  as  it  was  a  hundred  years 
ago,  beautiful  in  its  grandeur.  He  journeys  through  it,  and  soon  smil- 
ing farms  greet  him  from  the  hilltops,  and  the  country  grows  less 
rough.  Five  miles  from  Guttenberg  he  enters  upon  the  most  beautiful 
rolling  prairie  we  have  ever  seen,  which  extends  far  on  either  hand, 
to  within  three  miles  of  Elkader.  This  prairie  is  high  and  is  broken 
into  every  imaginable  variety  of  hill  and  dale.  It  is  covered  with 
farms,  most  of  them  in  the  very  highest  state  of  cultivation.  The 
other  portions  of  the  county  are  almost  equally  as  beautiful,  and 
there  is  scarcely  a  foot  of  it  but  what  is  susceptible  of  perfect  culti- 
vation. The  Turkey  river,  a  most  beautiful  stream,  furnishing  abun- 
dant water  power,  runs  through  the  county  diagonally,  from  its  north- 
west to  its  southeast  corner,  and  upon  its  banks  and  those  of  its 
tributaries,  as  well  as  along  the  Mississippi,  which  forms  the  eastern 
boundary  of  the  county,  there  is  an  inexhaustible  supply  of  timber. 

"Guttenberg — This  is  the  largest  town  in  the  county,  and  contains 
a  population  of  over  1,000.  It  was  incorporated  as  a  city  some  three 
years  ago,  and  is  governed  by  a  mayor  and  five  trustees  elected 
annually.  The  inhabitants  of  Guttenberg  are  almost  exclusively  Ger- 
man, there  being  but  four  or  five  American  families  in  the  place. 
It  is  a  significant  fact  that  one  of  these  few  Americans  was  chosen 
mayor.  The  German  mind  is  not  absorbed  by  a  lust  for  office.  The 
site  of  Guttenberg  is  very  handsome,  strongly  resembling  that  of 
Dubuque.  Its  houses  are  large,  well  built,  and  for  the  most  part 
constructed  of  stone,  of  which  there  is  any  quantity  close  at  hand. 
There  is  a  better  steam  mill  there  than  there  is  in  Dubuque,  and  some 
of  its  buildings  would  do  honor  to  Main  street.  Business  is  flourishing 
— a  number  of  new  houses  are  going  up,  and  everyone  appears  to  be 
making  money.  Socially  the  people  of  Guttenberg  are  above  all  praise. 
We  spent  about  thirty  hours  there,  and  never  were  there  thirty  hours 
more  delightfully  engaged.  Of  a  very  high  order  of  intelligence  and 
gifted  with  an  unusual  knowledge  of  the  world,  their  conversation  is 
as  charming  as  their  hospitality  is  grateful.  To  our  friends,  Messrs. 
Nicklaus,  Prignitz,  Uhl,  and  many  others,  we  owe  most  particular  obli- 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-I860  IO7 

gation.  In  Guttenberg  there  stands  a  three-story  house  constructed  of 
stone  in  a  very  elegant,  tasteful  and  substantial  manner,  which  was 
built  almost  entirely  by  a  man  and  his  wife,  who  now  own  it.  They 
were  three  years  in  accomplishing  the  job,  and  now  receive  a  hand- 
some income  from  its  rent.  This  extraordinary  couple,  of  course, 
are  German.  All  over  the  county  we  heard  the  warmest  praise  of  the 
German  settlers.  The  prominent  American  citizens  spoke  of  them  as 
ornaments  in  every  way  to  the  county,  and  extolled,  glowingly,  their 
intelligence,  their  industry,  their  patriotism,  and  the  great  increase  of 
wealth  which  they  produced. 

"Garuavillo — Ten  miles  northwest  from  Guttenberg,  and  in  the 
heart  of  a  prairie  as  beautiful  as  a  garden,  lies  Garnavillo,  a  place  of 
some  five  or  six  hundred  people,  and  until  lately  the  county  seat.  It 
wears  an  air  of  health,  cleanliness  and  contentment  that  is  very  charm- 
ing, and  seems  to  be  in  no  way  dispirited  by  the  loss  of  the  seat  of 
government.  It  has  a  number  of  good  stores,  shops  and  dwellings, 
and  is  honored  by  being  the  residence  of  the  Hon.  Reuben  Noble  and 
E.  H.  Williams,  two  men  of  whom  any  state  would  be  proud. 

"Elkader — Situated  on  both  sides  of  the  Turkey  river,  ten  miles 
west  of  Garnavillo,  and  upon  a  bench  of  land  designed  by  nature  for 
a  town,  Elkader  has  peculiar  and  natural  advantages  which  the  enter- 
prise and  sagacity  of  her  citizens  have  not  failed  to  improve.  She 
is  a  young  place,  and  has,  as  yet,  scarcely  begun  to  show  what  she  can 
yet  be  made.  Her  inhabitants  number  some  half  a  thousand,  but  we 
mistake  greatly  if  they  are  not  doubled  e'er  another  year.  There  is  a 
gigantic  flouring  mill  here,  owned  by  Timothy  Davis,  Esq.,  and  which 
is  a  monument  to  the  skill  and  wealth  of  its  proprietor.  There  are  some 
half-dozen  excellent  stores,  a  hotel,  shops,  school  houses,  etc.  The 
site  of  Elkader  is  very  beautiful,  and  when  the  town  shall  have 
spread  over  the  high  tableland  which  is  designed  to  form  the  principal 
portion  of  the  place,  it  will  be  hard  to  find  a  handsomer  place  in  Iowa. 
The  district  court.  His  Honor  Judge  Murdock  presiding,  was  in  ses- 
sion when  we  entered  Elkader,  and  the  town  was  thronged  to  over- 
flowing by  the  lawyers  and  the  "pares  curiam"  from  far  and  near. 
Had  it  not  been  for  the  very  acceptable  hospitality  and  kindness  of  our 
friends  there,  we  should  have  fared  but  badly,  as  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  hotel  swarmed  with  human  beings.  To  the  kindness  of 
Mr.  Carter,  Judge  Williams  and  Mr.  Havens  we  are  deeply  indebted 
for  hospitality  graciously  and  freely  ofifered. 

"Clayton  Centre — Five  miles  east  of  Elkader  is  a  new  town  just 
out  of  the  woods,  and  yet  in  its  first  days  of  infancy,  which  may 
make  something  yet.  It  is  settled  by  a  German  colony,  the  most  of 
whom  have  already  built  for  themselves  small  stone  houses.  As  this 
town  is  very  near  the  center  of  the  county,  no  doubt  anticipations  are 
entertained  by  some  of  its  citizens  of  one  day  enjoying  the  honor  of 
the  location  of  the  county  seat. 

"Communia — Some  six  or  seven  miles  south  of  Elkader  is  the  site 
of  what  remains  of  the  somewhat  famous  "Communia  Colony,"  an 
association  of  Germans  formed  years  since  upon  the  principle  of 
living  in  common.  They  have  a  beautiful  place,  and  it  is  under  the 
highest  state  of  cultivation.     The  experiment  of  socialism,  however. 


I08  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

turned  out  to  be  a  failure,  and  great  have  been  the  troubles  of  the 
colony.  Many  of  its  members  have  left  it,  and  those  v^ho  remain  are 
harassed  by  an  infinitude  of  lawsuits  about  the  property,  which  is  now 
of  great  value. 

"Public  Men — The  last  legislature  of  this  state  was  presided  over 
in  each  of  its  branches  by  a  gentleman  from  Clayton  county.  Maturin 
L.  Fisher  was  the  president  of  the  senate,  Reuben  Noble  was  speaker 
of  the  house.  This  extraordinary  tribute  to  the  pre-eminence  of  the 
public  men  of  Clayton  was  not  undeserved.  She  has  within  her  boun- 
daries probably  as  much  real  talent  as  any  other  county  of  the  state. 
The  two  gentlemen  we  have  named,  Timothy  Davis,  Judge  Williams, 
Judge  Murdock,  Dr.  Hoffbauer,  and  many  others,  are  statesmen  and 
jurists  fitted  for  any  post  of  honor  and  respectability.  Well  may  the 
citizen  of  Clayton  bless  the  fortune  that  led  him  to  cast  his  lot  on 
her  fair  bosom." 

MC  GREGOR  AND  "THE  TIMES" 

October  lo,  1856,  is  the  date  of  the  first  issue  of  "The  North 
Iowa  Times,"  published  at  McGregor,  with  the  proud  motto,  "We 
march  with  the  flag,  and  keep  step  to  the  music  of  the  Union."  With 
this  paper  came  a  new  factor  into  Clayton  county  in  the  person  of 
Col.  A.  P.  Richardson,  who  was  the  editor  of  the  Times,  F.  W.  Merrell 
being  the  publisher.  Col.  Richardson  was  a  man  of  great  ability  and 
a  terse,  forceful  and  fluent  writer.  He  came  to  Iowa  as  a  man  in  the 
prime  of  life,  already  well  versed  in  political  affairs  and  having 
attained  to  high  honors  in  the  state  of  Indiana.  He  was  born  in  Phila- 
delphia, May  28,  1818.  His  youth  was  spent  in  southern  Ohio  and 
his  young  manhood  in  northern  Indiana.  In  this  state  he  was  promi- 
nent in  Democratic  political  circles,  serving  one  term  in  the  Indiana 
state  senate  and  having  been  appointed  as  a  colonel  of  the  state  militia, 
from  which  appointment  he  gained  the  title  by  which  he  was  familiarly 
known. 

He  first  came  to  Iowa  as  a  guest  of  his  wife's  relatives,  who  lived 
at  Monona,  and  he  was  so  pleased  with  the  country  that  he  came  to 
McGregor  and  established  the  Times.  His  reputation  as  an  editorial 
writer  was  not  confined  to  this  section,  nor  to  Iowa ;  he  was  known, 
and  his  opinions  were  respected,  throughout  all  the  northwestern  states. 
While  a  partisan.  Col.  Richardson  was  always  a  patriot.  When  the 
test  came  in  1861,  no  man  was  stronger  in  his  utterances  for  the  defense 
of  the  Union.  He  was  the  editor  of  the  Times  almost  continuously 
for  a  period  of  fourteen  years,  dying  at  McGregor,  December  5,  1870. 
Col.  Richardson  was  on  the  ground  several  weeks  before  the  first  issue 
of  his  paper  appeared.  A  prospectus  was  issued  and  many  subscribers 
secured  in  advance  for  this  paper,  which  was  to  be  the  organ  not  only 
of  McGregor,  but  of  the  Democrats  of  the  county. 

In  the  opening  number  the  advantages  and  prospects  of  McGregor 
are  dealt  with  at  length,  and  the  paper  announces  its  advocacy  of  the 
election  of  Buchanan  and  Breckenridge.  The  advertising  columns  are 
almost  evenly  divided  between  McGregor  and  Monona.  Noticeable 
among  the  McGregor  advertisements  is  that  of  Lee  &  Kinnaird,  suc- 
cessors to  Lee  &  Nichols,  bankers  and  land  agents,  at  McGregor.    This 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  IO9 

is  the  first  advertisement  of  a  bank  in  Gayton  county,  and,  while 
doubtless  others  had  done  a  banking  business,  it  was  the  first  professed 
institution  of  that  kind  in  the  county. 

The  people  of  McGregor  were  intensely  interested  in  railroad 
development,  believing,  mistakenly,  that  the  extension  of  lines  west  of 
the  river  would  add  to  its  importance.  In  this  relation  the  Times  says, 
"the  completion  of  the  railroad  to  Prairie  du  Chien  will  give  us  all 
the  eastern  facilities  possessed  by  any  town  in  the  state.  The  neigh 
of  the  iron  horse  cannot  yet  be  heard,  but  we  see  the  influence  of  his 
approach  in  the  increased  activities  in  every  man  among  us."  George 
E.  Woodward,  chief  engineer  of  the  McGregor,  St.  Peters  &  Missouri 
River  Railroad,  writes,  for  the  Times,  that  the  first  preliminary  survey 
is  now  completed  to  Clear  Lake,  in  Cerro  Gordo  county,  a  distance  of 
140  miles  from  McGregor.  He  also  adds  that  "the  carrying  out  of 
this  project  proclaims  the  most  brilliant  future  for  McGregor." 

For  five  days,  October  12-16,  inclusive,  the  river  boats  touching  at 
McGregor  numbered  thirteen,  as  follows :  The  Fanny  Harris,  Galena, 
War  Eagle,  Greek  Slave,  Badger  State,  Areola,  Ocean  Wave,  Jacob 
Traber,  Fall  City,  Lady  Franklin,  Kate  Cassel,  City  Belle,  and  Tisho- 
mingo. These  boats  landed  3,621  packages  of  merchandise,  weighing 
328,477  pounds. 

F.  W.  G.  IMerrell  remained  with  the  Times  but  two  weeks,  the 
paper  passing  entirely  into  the  control  of  Mr.  Richardson,  who  became 
more  and  more  outspoken  in  his  political  attitude.  The  Times  accused 
Seward,  Sumner  and  other  abolitionists  of  attempting  to  disrupt  the 
Union,  and  supported  the  Fugitive  Slave  Law,  saying,  "after  the  north 
has  found  it  convenient  and  profitable  to  sell  their  negroes  to  the  south 
and  thus  relieve  themselves  of  the  reproach  and  the  damage  which 
slavery  has  caused  us,  is  it  right,  is  it  manly,  is  it  patriotic,  is  it  in 
accordance  with  the  Constitution  to  write  upon  the  flag,  pretending 
to  be  national,  'that  fugitives  from  service  or  labor  shall  not  be  sur- 
rendered on  claim'?" 

An  interesting  paragraph  found  in  the  Times  is  the  following: 
"Coulee  de  Sioux  is  the  old  French  name  for  the  ravine  or  road  that 
now  leads  westward  from  McGregor.  It  was  once  a  celebrated  Indian 
trail,  and  from  its  gradual  rise,  and  the  consequent  facilities  of  sur- 
mounting the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  on  a  westward  march,  it  was 
established  by  the  government  as  the  best  means  of  access  from  the 
east  bank  of  the  river  to  their  more  western  fortifications.  A  ware- 
house is  still  standing  here,  built  by  the  United  States  for  the  deposit 
of  military  stores.  Four  hundred  teams  per  day  now  use  this  road." 
One  of  the  peculiar  institutions  of  that  day,  advertised  in  the  Times, 
is  the  "Floating  Palace,  Steamship  James."  This  was  a  store,  on  a 
river  boat,  which  traveled  from  town  to  town,  and  which  was  then 
tied  up,  ready  for  business,  at  McGregor. 

County  Politics — The  Times  began  publication  too  late  to  take  part 
in  the  campaign  in  1856  to  any  great  extent.  In  July  the  democrats 
nominated  for  senator  Andrew  S.  Cooley,  of  Garnavillo ;  for  repre- 
sentatives, James  Tappan,  of  Girard,  and  John  M.  Ballou,  of  Clayton, 
and  for  clerk,  Robt.  C.  Drips,  of  Garnavillo.  The  republicans  held  a 
convention  at  Elkader,  nominating  H.  B.  Carter,  of  Elkader,  for  sen- 


no  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

ator;  Lafayette  Bigelow,  of  Mendon,  and  Francis  Rodman,  of  Jeffer- 
son, for  representatives ;  Thomas  Updegraff  for  clerk,  and  H.  S. 
Granger  for  attorney.  The  result  of  the  election  was  a  complete  victory 
for  the  republicans,  the  vote  being,  for  congress,  Davis  (Rep.)  i,o8i, 
Leffler  (Dem.)  37;  for  senator,  Carter  (Rep.)  1,043,  Cooley  (Dem.) 
421;  for  representative,  Bigelow  (Rep.)  1,016,  Rodman  (Rep.)  982, 
Ballou  (Dem.)  458,  Tappen  (Dem.)  499;  for  clerk,  Updegraff  1,1 13» 
Drips  384.  Granger,  for  attorney,  had  no  opposition,  and  the  majority 
for  a  constitutional  convention  was  295. 

Michael  Uriell  was  president  and  F.  Belfoy,  the  editor  of  the  Elka- 
der  Tribune,  was  secretary,  of  the  agricultural  society,  and  the  fair  for 
1856  was  held  at  Guttenburg  in  September.  Owing  doubtless  to  the 
exigencies  of  the  times,  the  Herald  had  no  issue  between  September  25 
and  October  30,  1856,  and  no  details  of  the  fair  are  given,  except  the 
premium  list.  At  this  time  the  population  of  Clayton  county  is  given 
as  follows :  Boardman,  778 ;  Buena  Vista,  193 ;  Cox  Creek,  535 ;  Clay- 
ton, 622;  Cass,  629;  Elk,  546;  Farmersburg,  840;  Garnavillo,  1,094; 
Grand  Meadow,  417;  Giard,  600;  Highland,  460;  Jefferson,  2,073; 
Lodomillo,  734;  Mendon,  718;  Monona,  811;  Mallory,  736;  Millville,. 
662 ;  Morasser,  392 ;  Read,  637 ;  Sperry,  732  ;  Volga,  532  ;  Wagner,  520. 
Total,  15,361.  Under  the  provisions  of  a  prior  election  bridge 
projects  were  entitled  to  receive  funds  from  the  swamp  land  fund, 
if  completed  by  April  8,  1857.  There  was  a  race  between  three  bridges 
to  be  completed  in  time.  The  bridge  over  the  Turkey  river  at  Elkport 
was  completed  in  November,  1856,  and  the  bridges  at  Millville  and 
Peck's  Ferry  were  rushed  through  under  high  pressure.  The  bridge 
at  Elkport  broke  down  as  soon  as  completed,  much  to  the  disappoint- 
ment of  Guttenberg  merchants,  but  it  was  immediately  rebuilt. 

State  elections  were  held  in  August  and  the  presidential  elections 
in  November.  Fremont  carried  Clayton  county  by  a  large  majority, 
the  vote  being:  Fremont,  1,520;  Buchanan,  748;  Fillmore,  67.  Men- 
don, Mallory  and  Read  were  the  only  townships  giving  a  democratic 
majority.  The  North  Iowa  Times  rejoices  over  the  national  victory 
for  Buchanan,  and  declares  "the  Union  is  safe." 

First  Steam  Ferry — November  13,  1856,  the  McGregor,  the  first 
steam  ferry  boat  between  McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien,  tied  up  at 
the  foot  of  the  main  street  of  the  proud  little  city.  This  boat  was 
built  at  Cincinnati  at  a  cost  of  $12,000,  and  was  of  three  hundred  tons 
burden.  The  Times  boasts  that  "it  will  compare  favorably  with  the 
Brooklyn  or  Fulton  line,  and  is  the  best  ferry  that  has  ever  passed 
Dubuque."  A  grand  excursion  was  given  by  the  boat  owners  to  promi- 
nent citizens  of  the  twin  cities,  to  Clayton,  where  a  dance  was  held, 
and,  on  their  return  journey,  resolutions  were  passed  in  honor  of  the 
enterprising  proprietors. 

The  Times  of  December  5  chronicles  the  killing  of  a  bear  by 
Mr.  Sturn  within  two  miles  of  McGregor,  and  states  that  four  bears 
had  been  killed  a  few  miles  up  the  river. 

As  a  reward  for  his  stalwart  democracy  A.  P.  Richardson  was 
made  postmaster  of  McGregor  in  1857,  succeeding  V.  R.  Miller. 

Early  History  of  McGregor — In  celebration  of  the  new  year  the 
Times  devoted  a  page  to  the  history  of  McGregor  and  a  statement  of 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  ^^     III 

its  then  condition,  from  which  the  following  extracts  are  taken  r 
"There  is  some  difficulty  in  obtaining  a  correct  history  of  McGregor 
from  the  earliest  settlement,  prior  to  the  time  the  U.  S.  government 
had  erected  a  garrison  fort,  at  a  point  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, nearly  opposite  McGregor.  Prior  to  the  year  1840  a  warehouse 
had  been  built  near  the  landing  at  McGregor  by  the  general  government, 
to  store  provisions  and  other  necessaries  for  the  soldiers.  This  ware- 
house still  remains  as  a  monument  of  the  early  days  of  McGregor. 
About  the  same  time  the  government  made  a  road  from  this  place  to 
Fort  Atkinson,  and  built  a  fort  at  the  latter  place.  The  selection  of 
this  road  by  competent  engineers  conclusively  proves  the  route  from 
this  place  as  the  most  feasible  to  the  interior  country  west  of  it.  The 
state  road  from  this  place  is  laid  nearly  on  the  same  route.  The 
country  west  was  then  inhabited  almost  exclusively  by  Indians ;  but 
few  white  men  having,  prior  to  that  time,  penetrated  this  region  of 
country ;  nature,  was  then  presented  in  her  merriest  mood,  and  in  all 
her  grandeur,  ^^lexander  McGregor  was  one  among  the  earliest  settlers 
at  the  place  now  known  as  McGregor.  Some  time  in  the  year  1840  or 
1 84 1  a  horse  ferry  boat  was  procured  to  run  from  this  place  to  a 
point  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  at  Fort  Crawford,  which 
has  been  continued  up  to  this  time ;  prior  to  which  time,  canoes  and 
skiffs  had  been  used  as  the  only  means  of  crossing  the  river.  In  1845 
James  McGregor  obtained  a  conveyance  for  the  tract  of  land  on  which 
McGregor  now  stands.  About  this  time  Alexander  McGregor  built 
a  house  near  the  landing  at  the  place  near  where  the  government 
warehouse  still  stands.  There  were  but  few  other  improvements  worthy 
of  note. 

The  bluffs  then  presented  a  rugged  range  of  hills,  which  might 
almost  be  classed  under  the  name  of  mountains,  and  few  that  then 
beheld  the  site  of  McGregor  dreamed  that  there  could  ever  be  even  a 
respectable  town,  and  none  thought  of  there  ever  being  a  city. 

The  population  of  McGregor  has  now  fully  reached  662.  Had 
the  census  been  taken  two  months  since,  the  population  would  have 
reached  eight  hundred  and  upward.  The  following  is  the  population 
at  this  time :  Married  persons ;  males,  143 ;  females,  143.  Number 
of  children  under  10  years,  153.  Number  of  children  over  10  years 
and  under  21,  271.  The  number  of  unmarried  male  persons  is  151. 
The  number  of  females  unmarried  falls  below  this  number,  being,  as 
near  as  ascertained,  24;  and  their  charms  are  such  as  to  give  them 
promise  of  a  short  life  of  single  blessedness. 

The  number  of  steamboat  arrivals  bound  up,  and  discharging 
freight  at  McGregor,  are  as  follows:  April,  17;  May,  116;  June,  105; 
July,  89;  August,  65;  September,  62;  October,  78;  November,  83; 
December,  5.  The  amount  of  tonnage  from  October  i  to  December  5, 
as  reported  in  the  North  Iowa  Times  weekly,  was  3,002,451  pounds, 
making  an  average  for  the  season  of  1856  of  1,500,000  pounds  per 
month.  The  following  statement  shows  the  division  of  trade  here, 
as  nearly  as  can  be  ascertained :  There  are  eight  wholesale  and  retail 
dry  goods  and  grocery  stores,  three  wholesale  and  retail  stove  and 
tinware  stores,  six  eating  and  oyster  saloons,  one  meat  market,  one 
drug  store,  one  bakery,  one  wholesale  and  retail  hardware  store,  seven 


112  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

taverns,  one  saddle  and  harness  shop,  two  sawmills,  one  window  blind, 
sash  and  door  factory,  three  blacksmith  shops,  one  cabinet  shop,  one 
dealer  in  sash,  door  and  blinds,  one  wholesale  dealer  in  furniture,  one 
printing  office,  five  contracting  plasterers,  two  shoe  shops,  one  jeweler 
and  watchmaker,  five  carpenter  shops,  one  livery  stable,  one  bank,  one 
-railroad  office,  four  physicians  and  surgeons." 

Judge  Eliphalet  Price — In  January,  1857,  Judge  Price  made  an 
official  statement  as  to  the  bridge  fund  of  the  county.  There  was 
realized  from  the  bridge  tax,  $2,027,  ^^^  this  was  used  to  assist  in 
building  twenty-six  bridges,  $300  going  to  each  of  three  bridges  across 
the  Volga.  The  judge  estimates  the  cost  of  these  bridges  at  $5,500, 
the  larger  part  of  which  was  donated.  He  states  that  bridges  are 
under  construction  across  the  Turkey  river  at  Millville  to  cost  $4,000 
and  at  Elkport  to  cost  $3,400.  These  bridges  to  receive  $1,000  each 
from  the  swamp  land  fund. 

The  annual  county  seat  fight  began  good  and  early  in  1857,  Judge 
Price  publishing  a  notice  that  an  election  would  be  held  between  Gutten- 
burg  and  Elkader  the  first  Monday  in  April.  Perhaps  it  was  to  prepare 
for  this  that  Clerk  Updegraff  announces  that  a  special  term  of  court 
will  be  held  at  Elkader  on  March  30,  for  the  exclusive  purpose  of 
naturalizing  foreigners.  Maturin  L.  Fisher,  who  had  gained  prominence 
as  president  of  the  senate,  was  nominated  by  the  democratic  party 
as  a  candidate  for  state  superintendent  of  public  instruction.  There 
had  just  been  a  scandal  in  this  office,  a  former  superintendent  loaning 
himself  a  large  sum  from  the  school  fund  on  his  own  note,  which 
proved  to  be  valueless.  The  knowledge  that  Mr.  Fisher  was  a  man  of 
high  integrity  aided  largely  in  his  election,  although  the  politics  of 
the  state  were  republican  at  the  time.  Mr.  Fisher  was  elected,  and 
proved  one  of  the  most  efficient  men  who  ever  held  that  office,  and  it 
fell  to  him  to  select  the  nucleus  for  the  library  of  the  state  university, 
and  he  traveled  throughout  the  east  on  this  mission.  It  was  in  1857, 
also,  that  a  postoffice  was  established  at  Read,  with  J.  Louis  Hagensick 
as  postmaster.  It  was  also  in  this  year  that  the  first  map  of  Clayton 
county  was  published  by  J.  O.  Crosby,  of  Garnavillo. 

Railroad  Projects — Guttenberg  was  greatly  interested  in  a  rail- 
road project  at  this  time,  and  a  meeting  was  held  to  advance  the  Turkey 
River  Valley  Railroad,  it  being  proposed  to  connect  by  ferry  with  a 
road  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  north  from  Galena.  The 
legislature  had  enacted  a  law  empowering  Clayton  county  to  issue 
bonds  in  favor  of  the  Dubuque  &  Turkey  River  Valley  Railroad  and 
the  McGregor,  St.  Peter  &  Missouri  River  Railroad,  upon  a  vote  of 
the  people.  Judge  Price  issued  a  proclamation  on  this  issue,  and  also 
a  proclamation  providing  for  a  vote  as  to  whether  the  swamp  land 
fund  should  be  used  to  aid  bridges  across  the  Turkey  river,  the  erection 
of  which  had  been  delayed  by  inclement  weather.  A  railroad  meeting 
was  held  at  Volga,  at  which  M.  M.  Johnson,  Alvah  Bevens  and  W.  H. 
Gould  were  appointed  as  a  committee,  which  reported  in  favor  of  a 
route  from  Dyersville  via  the  Yankee  Settlement,  Volga,  Lima  City 
and  West  Union.  The  railroad  meeting  at  Guttenberg  was  largely 
attended.  S.  L.  Peck  was  chairman  and  Francis  Rodman  secretary, 
and  the  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  Judge  Price.    They  resolved  in 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  II3 

favor  of  a  grant  and  that  the  Mississippi  terminus  of  the  proposed 
Turkey  Valley  Railroad  should  be  retained  in  Clayton  county.  C.  F. 
Remick,  E.  H.  Williams,  Judge  Price,  Reuben  Noble  and  A.  E.  Wanzer 
were  among  the  speakers.  At  the  same  time  articles  of  incorporation 
for  the  Dubuque  &  Turkey  Valley  Railroad  Co.  were  published,  signed 
by  Willis  Drummond,  M.  M.  Johnson  and  Jacob  Nicklaus. 

Agricultural  Society — Michael  Uriell,  as  president  of  the  Agricul- 
tural Society,  presided  at  the  meeting  which  was  held  in  Elkader 
February  21.  At  this  meeting  Dr.  E.  Trescott  was  elected  president 
and  William  Kees  secretary.  It  was  resolved  that  the  executive  com- 
mittee should  select  a  permanent  location.  There  was  a  hot  contest 
for  this  location ;  Clayton,  Elkader,  Read  Township  and  Farmersburg 
entering  the  lists  with  various  propositions.  Farmersburg  was  first 
decided  upon,  but  this  was  reconsidered,  and  Clayton  Center  won. 
This  created  much  feeling  in  Farmersburg  against  Elkader,  which  was 
held  responsible. 

Guttenherg  the  County  Seat — So  busy  were  the  people  with  rail- 
road projects  that  it  was  not  until  late  in  March  that  the  county  seat 
fight  warmed  up.  Thompson  and  Davis  were  accused  of  having  with- 
drawn the  $5,000  which  they  offered  to  donate  to  the  county  if  the 
county  seat  was  located  at  Elkader  in  1856.  This  was  indignantly 
denied  by  the  Elkader  Tribune  in  an  article  headed,  "A  Lie  Nailed 
to  the  Counter."  The  fact  that  this  offer  had  been  made  and  that  no 
step  had  been  taken  to  build  a  courthouse,  however,  operated  against 
Elkader.  A  paragraph  from  one  of  the  "county  seat"  editorials  in  the 
Guttenberg  paper  illustrates  some  of  the  arguments  used  in  this  fight : 
"LOOK  OUT  for  some  magnificent  offer  on  the  part  of  Elkader  about 
next  Monday  morning.  In  what  shape  it  will  make  its  appearance  is 
not  yet  announced.  Whether  it  will  be  another  grand  scheme  like  a 
bond  or  an  engagement  by  Hon.  Mr.  Davis  to  make  a  slack  water 
navigation  the  whole  length  of  Turkey  River,  or  a  proposition  to  build 
a  magnificent  courthouse  and  present  it  to  the  people  of  the  county, 
or  some  other  benevolent  operation,  we  do  not  pretend  to  decide. 
Maybe  Congress  can  be  induced,  through  the  influence  of  Mr.  Davis, 
to  make  an  appropriation  to  build  a  marine  hospital  at  that  point  in 
the  basement  of  which  the  county  can  be  furnished  with  offtces  free 
of  charge.  Whatever  shape  it  may  come  in,  it  will  doubtless  be  fulfilled 
in  the  same  manner  the  celebrated  bond  of  last  year  was ;  that  is  to 
say,  over  the  left."  At  the  city  election  in  Guttenberg  less  than  200 
votes  were  cast,  but  for  the  county  seat  the  vote  of  Jefferson  town- 
ship was  565  for  Guttenberg,  Elkader  none.  At  the  same  time  the  vote 
of  all  other  precincts  was  extrem'ely  heavy.  Guttenberg  won  by  a 
vote  of  1.477  to  1,456,  and  Timothy  Davis  and  others  protested  against 
John  M.  Kriebs  being  allowed  to  assist  in  the  canvass  of  votes,  charging 
that  more  than  100  illegal  votes  had  been  cast  in  Guttenberg,  and  that 
Kriebs  "must  have  been  knowing  to,  if  not  active  in  procuring  the 
same  to  be  done."  At  the  same  election  the  vote  for  railroad  aid 
carried  by  1,651  to  969,  and  for  bridge  appropriations  by  1,685  *<>  649. 
The  democrats  carried  the  county,  Maturin  L.  Fisher  receiving  a  large 
complimentary  vote,  the  result  being  Fisher,  1.511;  Bugbee  (Rep.), 
1,102.    John  W.  Potts  was  elected  county  assessor. 


114  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

The  protest  on  the  part  of  Elkader  came  to  nothing,  and  Guttenburg 
held  a  grand  celebration  when  the  county  property  was  transferred 
to  that  city.  The  following  is  the  account  of  the  gala  day:  "The 
county  property  was  brought  to  Guttenburg  last  Thursday,  and  the 
appearance  of  the  big  safe  caused  quite  a  sensation  among  our  citizens, 
who  gave  vent  to  their  enthusiasm  by  cheering,  firing  guns  and  rejoicing 
generally.  All  seemed  to  feel  that  it  was  a  proud  day  for  Guttenberg ; 
but  none  seemed  to  enter  into  the  real  enjoyment  of  the  victory  more 
than  Farmer  William  Schoulte,  of  Garnavillo  township,  who  was  the 
standard-bearer  on  the  occasion,  and  whose  countenance  expressed 
the  delight  he  felt  at  being  able  to  enter  Guttenburg  as  the  county  seat 
of  the  county  with  the  flag  of  his  country  supported  by  his  sturdy  arm, 
and  waving  in  glorious  folds  over  his  noble  head.  In  the  afternoon 
the  ladies  presented  Judge  Price  with  a  most  beautiful  bookcase  as  a 
token  of  their  appreciation  of  his  efforts  in  the  campaign.  In  the  even- 
ing a  banquet  was  given  at  which  toasts  were  responded  to  by  Judge 
Price,  Reuben  Noble,  Mayor  Wiest,  Thomas  Updegraff,  J.  O.  Crosby, 
E.  Odell,  J.  P.  Kriebs  and  William  Schoulte.  The  county  officers  were 
quartered  in  the  academy  building,  which  was  leased  for  three  years 
for  $ioo  per  annum."  Judge  Price  announced  that  Clayton  county 
would  take  $200,000  of  bonds  in  the  McGregor,  St.  Peters,  Missouri 
Railway,  and  $200,000  in  the  Dubuque  &  Turkey  Valley  Railway,  and 
Sheriflf  Davis  announced,  on  behalf  of  District  Judge  Murdock,  that 
court  would  be  holden  at  Guttenberg  on  May  18. 

Hard  Times — As  early  as  January,  1857,  the  hard  times  began 
to  settle  down  upon  Clayton  county.  From  the  reports  of  the  varied 
activities  of  the  county  it  has  been  seen,  however,  that  this  new  terri- 
tory was  affected  less  than  almost  any  other  portion  of  the  United 
States.  Money  was  not  a  necessity  for  the  man  who  was  not  in  debt. 
The  soil  provided  a  good  living,  and  the  surplus  products  of  the  farm 
could  be  exchanged  for  the  few  simple  manufactured  articles  which 
the  settler  was  obliged  to  have.  But  woe  betide  the  man  who  was  in 
debt.  Interest  rates  were  high.  Twelve  percent  was  about  the  lowest 
rate  at  which  a  farm  loan  could  be  obtained.  The  money  price  of 
produce  was  low.  Added  to  this  was  the  wildcat  currency.  The 
National  bank  had  long  since  been  abandoned,  and,  under  lax  state 
laws  banks,  almost  without  assets,  had  been  allowed  to  issue  currency. 
This  currency  floated  at  par,  as  a  rule,  when  first  issued,  and  the 
plentitude  of  money  had  inflated  prices  and  encouraged  speculation. 
The  reaction  came  when  these  banks  failed  to  redeem  their  currency 
and  it  dawned  upon  the  people  that  the  money  which  they  had  in  their 
pocket  was  worth  no  more,  or  no  less,  than  the  worth  of  the  individual 
bank  by  which  it  was  issued.  This  led  to  suspicion,  which  was  nearly 
always  well  founded,  until  things  came  to  such  a  pass  that  no  man,  not 
even  the  best  informed  bankers,  could  be  certain  from  day  to  day  as 
to  what  these  bank  notes  were  worth.  Just  as  the  more  modem 
"bucket  shop"  operator  profited  in  grain  deals  by  advance  information, 
so  financiers  were  able  to  profit  by  advance  information  as  to  the  value 
of  this  state  bank  currency,  and  in  every  case  it  was  the  average  man, 
the  farmer,  the  laborer,  who  suffered.  In  January,  1857,  the  pinch 
was  felt  in  Clayton  county,  but  not  so  severely  but  that  Colonel  Rich- 


PROGRESS   AND   PGVERTY 185O-1860  II5 

ardson  could  write  of  it  in  the  following  light-hearted  way:  "In  the 
memory  of  the  oldest  inhabitant  of  this  country  times  have  not  been 
so  'tight'  as  now.  If  we  did  not  know  by  experience  of  rather  a 
bitter  character  that  times  are  in  the  habit  of  getting  tight  and  recover- 
ing again  we  would  conclude  that  commercial  delirium  tremens  would 
supervene  and  upset  the  whole  fabric  of  trade  and  dicker.  Every  man 
you  see  is  demanding  money  of  you,  and  the  mails  are  now  supposed 
to  be  carried  only  by  Dun  horses."  Nevertheless  the  paper  announces 
that  from  three  to  five  hundred  buildings  will  be  erected  in  McGregor 
during  the  course  of  the  year.  On  March  2,  1857,  McGregor  voted 
to  incorporate,  and  on  April  27  an  election  was  held  to  vote  on  the 
charter  proposed  by  a  commission  consisting  of  John  T.  Stoneman, 
J.  H.  Merrell  and  G.  S.  C.  Scott.  The  charter  carried,  by  a  vote  of 
35  to  21,  and  Judge  Price  declared  the  town  incorporated  and  ap- 
pointed A.  T.  Jones,  F.  Durand  and  J.  T.  Stoneman  as  the  first  elec- 
tion judges. 

Railroad  Reaches  River — "Be  it  remembered  that  on  Wednes- 
day, April  15,  1857,  at  5  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  cars  of  the  Mil- 
waukee &  Mississippi  railroad  anchored  on  the  banks  of  the  great 
river.  The  shriek  of  the  Lake  Michigan  locomotive  was  echoed  by 
the  blufifs  and  responded  to  by  a  shrill  whistle  of  welcome  from  a 
Mississippi  steamer  just  coming  into  port.  Hundreds  of  persons  were 
in  attendance  to  witness  the  arrival  of  the  first  passenger  train,  and 
when  the  smoke  of  the  engine  became  visible  in  the  distance  there  was 
such  an  expression  of  anxiety  as  we  have  seen  when  a  new  and  great 
actor  is  expected  on  the  stage.  As  the  train  came  in  view,  and  the 
flags  with  which  it  was  decorated  were  seen  waving  in  the  breeze,  a 
shout  of  welcome  broke  forth  from  the  gazers  that  told  how  many 
hopes  of  friendly  reunions  were  awakened  in  the  contemplation  of 
an  easy  and  speedy  return  to  their  eastern  homes.  One  large  banner 
carried  on  its  silken  folds  the  busy  emblem  of  'Wisconsin,  the  Bad- 
ger.' "  This  is  the  glad  song  of  praise  with  which  the  Times  an- 
nounced the  coming  of  the  first  railroad  train  within  sight  of  Mc- 
Gregor. There  was  feasting  and  rejoicing,  and  the  high  officials  of 
the  railroad  visited  McGregor  and  proclaimed  it  the  "Gateway  of 
Trade — the  Thermopylae  of  North  Iowa  Commerce."  McGregor 
held  its  first  city  election  on  May  9,  1857,  and  the  first  officers  were 
A.  T.  Jones,  mayor ;  John  T.  Stoneman,  recorder ;  John  H.  Kinniard, 
treasurer;  J.  L.  Dearman,  assessor;  D.  Allen,  marshal.  The  first 
trustees  were  A.  E.  Wanzer,  G.  S.  C.  Scott,  R.  McMorrine,  C.  A. 
Southmayd  and  J.  B.  Bass.  The  Times  celebrated  by  enlarging  to 
an  eight-column  sheet  and  by  publishing  a  lengthy  writeup  of  all  the 
business  houses  in  the  city. 

Clouded  Titles — One  thing  which  seriously  retarded  the  growth 
of  McGregor  was  the  fact  that  the  land  titles  were  in  dispute,  and 
no  man  could  secure  a  clear  title  to  his  lot.  This  litigation  in  which 
the  McGregors  were  involved,  first  as  to  the  Giard  grant,  with  the 
original  owners,  and  later  as  brother  against  brother,  dragged  its 
weary  course  through  the  courts  for  many  years.  It  was  the  hope 
of  all  McGregorites  that  this  suit  would  be  settled  or  compromised 
and  in  May,  1857,  the  Times  mentions  that  "James  McGregor,  Esq., 


Il6  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

brother  to  Alexander,  our  townsman,  and  one  of  the  parties  to  the 
suit  involving  the  title  to  the  townsite  of  McGregor,  is  now  here.  It 
is  hoped  by  all  that  the  matter  at  issue  will  be  compromised  by  the 
brothers,  and  we  are  pleased  to  learn  that  there  is  strong  ground  to 
anticipate  an  amicable  arrangement." 

It  was  at  this  time,  in  1857,  that  old  Fort  Crawford,  across  the 
river,  but  which  played  such  an  important  part  in  the  early  history  of 
this  county,  was  sold  by  the  government  to  the  settlers.  There  was 
hardly  an  issue  of  the  Times  during  this  year  which  did  not  con- 
tain a  notice  of  a  railroad  meeting,  and  this  was  the  headquarters 
of  the  McGregor,  St.  Peter  &  Missouri  railroad,  of  which  John  Thomp- 
son was  president  and  Jedediah  Brown  was  secretary.  June  19,  1857, 
the  new  banking  and  real  estate  firm  of  H.  S.  Granger  &  Co.  was 
announced,  and  the  threshing  machine  is  first  advertised  to  the  far- 
mers of  the  county. 

Coming  of  Norwegians — This  was  the  time  of  the  great  Norwe- 
gian immigration,  and  the  picture  of  their  coming,  as  given  by  the 
Times,  is  worth  preserving:  "On  Saturday  last  the  Northern  Belle 
delivered  at  McGregor  nearly  one  hundred  emigrants  from  Norway. 
There  was  about  the  same  number  on  board,  bound  for  ports  farther 
up.  They  were  composed  of  middle  age  and  young  men  and  women 
and  children,  very  few  of  the  company  looked  to  be  over  35  or  40 
years  of  age.  Boxes,  wooden  trunks  and  cases  of  all  shapes  and 
sizes,  strongly  banded  with  iron,  painted  and  marked  with  hiero- 
glyphics to  us  indecipherable,  w-ere  carried  from  the  boat  to  the  levee 
until  the  wharf  and  road  for  several  rods  were  completely  blocked  up. 
The  appearance  of  some  of  the  wooden  trunks  was  very  ancient,  one 
of  them  we  saw  was  marked  1707.  There  were  others  older  in  looks. 
The  Norwegians  are  a  most  valuable  accession  to  the  state.  They 
are  frugal,  industrious  and  honest ;  some  of  them  are  most  talented 
business  men,  and  scarcely  one  can  be  found  that  approaches,  either 
from  bad  habits  or  imbecility,  the  condition  of  a  pauper.  They  usually 
settle  in  neighborhoods,  and  a  steady  improvement  of  the  country 
marks  their  footsteps.  Iowa  and  Minnesota  are  receiving  the  best 
mental  stamina  of  the  eastern  and  middle  states,  as  well  as  the  most 
valuable  physical  and  moral  force  of  Europe.  No  better  evidence  of 
the  value  of  Iowa  lands  can  be  shown  than  the  direct  influences  they 
exert  on  the  middle  classes  of  distant  Europe.  A  journey  of  7,000 
miles,  or  over  one-quarter  round  the  earth,  is  no  light  testimony  in 
favor  of  the  superiority  of  the  Northwest." 

Politics  in  18 j/ — The  August  election  of  1857  resulted  generally 
in  a  Republican  victory,  but  it  is  also  noteworthy  that  the  proposition 
to  strike  the  word  "white"  from  the  Constitution  was  defeated  in  this 
county  by  a  vote  of  239  for  and  1,029  against.  The  vote  of  McGregor 
stood  I  for  and  159  against.  Judge  Price,  possibly  owing  to  his  activ- 
ities for  Guttenberg,  was  defeated  for  county  judge  by  O.  W.  Crary. 
Other  county  officers  elected  were  B.  F.  Fox,  recorder ;  Alpheus  Scott, 
attorney;  James  Davis,  sheriff;  M.  E.  Smith,  surveyor;  Nicholas 
Kriebs,  coroner,  and  B.  F.  Schroeder,  drainage  commissioner.  The 
attempt  made  by  Farmersburg  earlier  in  the  year  to  take  the  county 
seat  from  Guttenberg  died  a-bornin',  but  immediately  after  the  elec- 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  II7 

tion  Elkader  announced  that  it  would  make  the  fight  in  the  succeeding 
April,  and  petitions  were  also  circulated  for  Garnavillo,  Clayton  Cen- 
ter and  Farmersburg.  It  was  in  1857  that  Benjamin  F.  Forbes,  the 
prominent  citizen  of  Garnavillo,  who  has  been  frequently  mentioned  in 
this  history,  died,  and  the  Masonic  lodge  of  Garnavillo  passed  resolu- 
tions in  honor  of  his  memory,  signed  by  A.  W.  Drips,  secretary  pro 
tern.  Work  had  already  begun  on  the  railroad  to  extend  west  from 
McGregor.  By  September,  1857,  contractors  were  at  work  on  seven 
sections  of  the  road,  and  North  McGregor,  for  the  first  time,  becomes 
prominent. 

For  the  fall  campaign  the  Republicans  met  in  county  convention 
at  McGregor  and  L.  G.  Collins  and  W.  H.  Stearns  were  nominated  for 
representatives.  The  Democratic  convention  was  held  at  National, 
and  Charles  Watkins  of  Farmersburg  and  Michael  Uriell  of  Read 
were  nominated  for  representatives.  At  this  time  Clayton  county 
was  entitled  not  only  to  two  representatives  of  its  own,  but  to  a 
"floating"  representative  elected  by  Dubuque,  Jones  and  Clayton  coun- 
ties. For  this  position  the  Democrats  of  the  county  placed  in  nomina- 
tion Dr.  F.  Andros,  who  had  returned  from  Minnesota,  subject  to  the 
decision  of  the  district  convention  to  be  held  at  Dyersville.  Dr.  Andros 
was  not  successful  at  the  convention,  the  nominee  being  W.  S.  John- 
son. In  the  meantime  the  Republicans  nominated  John  T.  Stoneman  of 
McGregor.  The  October  election  in  1857  resulted  in  the  election  of 
all  Republican  nominees.  The  following  list  of  Democratic  committee- 
men gives  an  idea  of  the  political  affiliations  of  many  of  the  prominent 
men  of  the  county.  The  committee  was :  Jefferson,  B.  F.  Fox ;  Mill- 
ville,  John  Kinney ;  Mallory,  John  W.  Potts ;  Elk,  John  Wolf ;  Volga, 
Isaac  Otis ;  Lodomillo,  S.  R.  Peet ;  Boardman,  R.  L.  Freeman ;  Wag- 
ner, Warren  Hunt;  Marion  (Morasser),  B.  D.  Worthing;  Read,  J.  L. 
Gilbert ;  Garnavillo,  Dr.  Linton ;  Clayton,  N.  Kriebs ;  Mendon,  George 
L.  Bass ;  Monona,  Horace  Emery ;  Farmersburg,  T.  G.  Drips ;  Cass,  J. 
H.  Grannis ;  Grand  Meadow,  Alex  Fay ;  Sperry,  Dr.  Woodward ; 
Giard,  J.  Tapper.  No  committeemen  were  reported  from  Buena  Vista, 
Cox  Creek  and  Highland. 

The  fourth  annual  fair  was  held  at  Clayton  Center,  and  of  it 
the  secretary,  William  M.  Keys,  says  that  the  weather  was  so  unpleas- 
ant that  few  were  able  to  attend.  The  exhibit  was  small  but  of  good 
quality  and  the  stock  exhibit  was  very  superior. 

Hard  Times  Reach  McGregor — In  October,  1857,  the  Times  had 
the  following  to  say  concerning  business  conditions  at  McGregor: 
"Notwithstanding  the  uproar  of  bank,  railroad  and  individual  failures 
throughout  the  country,  our  little  city  keeps  up  an  active  business-like 
motion,  and  we  happen  to  know  that  several  of  our  largest  dealers  are 
selling  a  great  many  goods  to  Western  Iowa  and  Minnesota  merchants 
for  PAY.  The  buyers  who  come  here  to  replenish  are  dealing  far 
enough  west  and  northwest  to  feel  the  influence  of  the  past  season's 
emigration,  and  it  matters  little  to  them  whether  wheat  is  high  or  low 
in  the  eastern  market.  The  newcomer  has  the  GOLD,  and  he  is  com- 
pelled to  spend  it.  Our  streets  are  as  full  of  people  as  ever,  and 
though  no  grain  is  coming  forward,  we  are  having  a  good  run  of  trade." 
Nevertheless,   it  is  noticeable  that  the  Times  suspended  publication 


Il8  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

for  one  week  in  order  to  collect  sufficient  to  continue  business,  and, 
but  a  few  weeks  later,  -tla»t  paper  makes  a  lengthy  editorial  statement 
relative  to  the  times.  It  complains  bitterly  of  the  pressure  to  collect 
debts  which  is  forcing  many  into  the  hands  of  the  sheriff  and  adds, 
"the  grain,  upon  which  we  rely  for  ultimate  payment,  will  bring  scarcely 
any  price,  and,  even  then,  the  farmers  are  required  to  receive  in  pay- 
ment for  it  the  bills  of  banks  which  have  set  the  first  example  of  sus- 
pension. The  patient  is  very  sick  and  the  remedy  should  be  speedy. 
The  severity  of  the  money  pressure  is  having  some  strange  effects. 
Large  numbers  of  persons  anticipating  destitution  this  winter  on  the 
seaboard  are  shipping  back  to  Europe.  Men  who  fear  the  winter 
are  recruiting  in  the  United  States  service  as  fast  as  their  names  can 
be  written  on  the  lists.  All  the  discharged  mechanics  are  going  into 
the  army.  Telegraph  stock  is  benefited,  so  great  is  the  rush  of  bad 
news,  that  three  times  the  number  of  wires  would  find  employment. 
The  boot  and  shoe  trade  is  said  to  have  suffered  least.  The  lager 
beer  saloons  have  suffered  materially.  Matrimony  is  said  to  have 
come  to  a  dead  standstill  in  eastern  states." 

Coupled  with  the  political  unrest  resulting  naturally  from  these 
severe  hard  times  was  the  great  moral  question  of  slavery,  and  the 
great  political  question  of  the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  The  flames 
of  dissension,  which  had  blazed  up  during  the  Kansas-Nebraska  con- 
troversy, had  not  died  down,  and  even  in  1857  there  were  many  signs 
of  the  perilous  times  to  come.  It  was  a  noteworthy  fact  that  the  first 
mention  of  disunion  found  in  the  McGregor  paper  is  a  discussion  con- 
cerning a  convention,  called  to  meet  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  to  take  into 
consideration  the  propriety  of  the  dissolution  of  the  Union.  This  con- 
vention was  called  by  abolitionists  of  the  northern  states,  and  would 
make  it  appear  that  secession  ideas  were  not  entirely  of  southern 
origin. 

The  Times,  of  December  2,  notes  that  Mr.  Reuben  Noble  of  the 
law  firm  of  Noble,  Odell  &  Drummond  has  taken  up  his  residence  at 
McGregor,  while  Mr.  Odell  remains  at  Guttenberg;  that  Judge  Wil- 
liams and  Mr.  Peck  have  formed  a  lawpartnership  at  McGregor  and 
that  John  Van  Orman  of  Osage  has  moved  to  McGregor  and  hung 
out  his  shingle. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  1857  McGregor  is  able  to  report  that 
"since  October,  1856,  the  village  has  more  than  doubled  its  population, 
and  it  has  trebled  in  the  length  of  its  main  street.  Back  country 
residents  who  have  not  visited  the  river  since  spring  express  their  sur- 
prise now  when  they  find  themselves  in  town  nearly  one  mile  and  a 
half  from  the  river  wharf.  Not  only  is  the  coulee  filling  up  with 
dweUings  and  business  houses,  but  all  the  valleys  intersecting  the  main 
road,  the  sides  of  the  hills,  and  the  uplands  three  to  four  miles  in  length, 
are  being  dotted  with  tasty  residences,  mechanic  shops,  houses  of  enter- 
tainment and  small  shops  or  provision  stores.  Notwithstanding  the 
closeness  of  times  improvements  at  North  McGregor  continue.  A 
steam  sawmill  is  erected,  a  large  storehouse  is  finished,  John  Thomp- 
son of  Clermont  has  the  timber  on  the  ground  for  a  warehouse  just 
below  the  mouth  of  Giard  Creek ;  Granger  &  Co.  have  sold  a  large 
number  of  lots  which  will  be  built  on  in  the  spring." 


PROGRESS  AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  II9 

The  McGregor,  St.  Peter  &  Missouri  River  railroad  issued  $4,000 
in  notes  at  10  percent  interest,  which  were  expected  to  pass  as  cur- 
rency in  McGregor. 

At  the  close  of  1857  market  prices  at  McGregor  were:  Wheat, 
40c  to  45c;  oats,  25c  to  30c;  barley,  50c;  potatoes,  40c  to  45c;  corn, 
30c;  cattle,  3c;  fat  sheep,  $1.50  to  $2  a  head;  hogs,  $5  to  $6;  butter, 
20c ;  eggs,  20c,  but  these  prices  were  payable  in  a  depreciated  currency, 
and  the  market  quotation  contained  the  ominous  statement,  "Shin 
plasters  not  received  on  deposit." 

Events  of  1858 — In  January,  1858,  there  was  formed  at  Elkader 
a  "Female  Temperance  Society,"  the  forerunner  of  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  of 
today.  Miss  Griswold,  Miss  Mathews,  Mrs.  Warrener  and  Miss  Dur- 
kee  took  part  in  this  first  meeting. 

By  February,  1858,  the  Clayton  County  Herald,  at  Guttenberg, 
had  succumbed  to  the  hardness  of  the  times.  The  Tribune  at  Elkader 
had  proved  but  a  short-lived  affair,  and  the  Times  of  McGregor  was 
left  as  the  only  paper  in  Clayton  county. 

In  1858  the  census  figures  for  1856  had  just  been  compiled,  and 
the  figures  of  the  nativity  of  the  county  are  of  interest.  Of  the  15,187 
inhabitants  of  Clayton  county  there  were  but  five  paupers.  The 
nativity  of  the  people  was  as  follows:  Iowa,  2,567;  New  York,  1,722; 
Ohio,  1,545  ;  Pennsylvania,  1,328;  Illinois,  635 ;  Vermont,  561 ;  Indiana, 
344;  Wisconsin,  278;  Virginia,  219;  Massachusetts,  188;  Michigan, 
165;  Connecticut,  126;  New  Hampshire,  119;  Kentucky,  117;  Mis- 
souri, 102.  None  of  the  other  states  furnished  as  many  as  100.  Of 
the  foreign  born,  2,375  were  from  Germany,  756  from  Ireland,  343 
from  Canada,  274  from  Norway,  253  from  England,  171  from  Prus- 
sia, 155  from  Hanover,  131  from  Scotland,  120  from  Switzerland,  82 
from  Bavaria,  41  from  France  and  others  scattering.  Counting  Prus- 
sia, Hanover  and  Bavaria  as  Germany,  and  the  total  of  German-bom 
citizens  reached  2,783,  or  nearly  20  percent  of  the  population.  It  has 
often  been  said  that  Maturin  L.  Fisher  was  the  father  of  the  common 
school  system  of  Iowa  and  in  many  respects  this  is  true.  In  1858 
he  presented  to  the  legislature  an  entire  recodification  of  the  school 
law,  and  it  was  upon  this  that  our  school  system  is  founded.  Not 
all  the  provisions  urged  by  Mr.  Maturin  were  adopted,  but  he  pro- 
posed a  thorough  system,  which  included  the  rural  schools,  high 
schools,  normals  and  the  state  university,  and  to  this  Clayton  county 
man  must  be  given  the  credit  for  much  of  the  good  work  done  by 
our  schools. 

About  this  time,  in  the  spring  of  1858,  the  papers  began  to  fill 
with  notices  of  sheriff  sales,  and  in  nearly  every  one  of  these  is  a 
tragedy,  written  with  the  heart's  blood  of  some  hard-working,  dis- 
appointed pioneer  and  his  brave  and  devoted  wife  and  little  family, 
to  whom  the  long  journey  across  the  prairies,  the  breaking  of  old 
home  ties,  the  hardships  and  the  deprivations  of  log  cabin  days  and 
the  long  hours  of  toil  in  field  and  wood,  had  ended  only  in  failure, 
owing  to  conditions  for  which  they  were  not  to  blame  and  over 
which  they  had  no  control.  Some  lost  heart  entirely,  but  it  speaks 
volumes  for  their  courage  and  manhood  that  the  vast  majority  started 
anew,  bare  handed,  and  finally  won  their  way  to  success. 


120  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Third  County  Seat  Fight — In  1858  Elkader  made  another  try  for 
the  county  seat,  and  Judge  Oliver  Crary  ordered  a  vote  to  be  taken 
at  the  April  election.  As  there  were  no  newspapers  either  at  Gutten- 
berg  or  at  Elkader,  and  as  the  McGregor  paper  maintained  a  neutral 
attitude,  not  much  can  be  learned  concerning  the  details  of  this  cam- 
paign. The  vote  was  Guttenberg  2,038,  Elkader  1,706.  At  the  same 
election  Alonzo  Brown  was  elected  to  the  newly  made  office  of  super- 
intendent of  common  schools.  The  fact  that  Guttenberg  cast  1,036 
of  the  votes  in  her  favor  at  the  election  was  the  subject  of  much 
comment  and  of  great  dissatisfaction  on  the  part  of  Elkader.  The 
Times  suggests  that  Garnovillo  is  the  proper  place  for  the  county 
seat,  and  this  suggestion  was  eagerly  taken  up  by  the  people  of  that 
village,  laying  the  foundation  for  the  successful  fight  which  was  made 
the  following  year. 

Indians  at  McGregor — In  March,  1858,  McGregor  was  visited  by 
a  party  of  Indian  chiefs  and  warriors  under  the  conduct  of  J.  R. 
Brown.  They  were  Sisigons  and  Mudewakanpons,  and  among  them 
were  Chiefs  Little  Crow,  Black  Dog,  Red  Legs  and  others  with  un- 
pronounceable names.  The  fact  that  this  delegation  created  much 
interest  and  excitement  in  McGregor  shows  that  Indian  visits  were 
already  becoming  rare. 

In  April,  1858,  Mr.  Richardson  sold  a  half  interest  in  the  Times 
to  C.  C.  Fuller,  who  was  with  the  paper  for  some  time.  McGregor 
was  not  a  model  town  at  this  time,  nor  could  it  have  been  expected  to 
be.  There  were  hundreds  of  strange  visitors,  and  but  few  of  the  old- 
timers  had  been  there  more  than  a  few  years;  the  river  brought 
many  roughs  and  desperadoes  and,  at  North  McGregor,  there  were 
large  gangs  of  illiterate  workmen.  The  most  of  these  men  of  all 
classes  were  young  and  hardy,  and  each  had  his  goodly  measure  of 
wild  oats  to  sow.  The  streets  of  McGregor  were  lined  with  many 
drinking  places  and  there  were  gambling  houses  and  dissolute  women. 
All  this  does  not  reflect  upon  the  McGregor  of  today,  nor  upon  the 
staid  residents  of  the  place  at  that  time ;  it  was  simply  an  incident  of 
the  rough  pioneer  time  and  but  duplicated  the  scenes  which  have 
occurred  in  every  border  city. 

River  Pirates  Captured — In  1858,  however,  it  was  found  that  this 
was  a  rendezvous  for  a  large,  thoroughly  organized  band  of  robbers 
who  operated  from  the  head  waters  of  the  Mississippi  clear  to  the 
gulf.  There  had  been  a  number  of  thefts  at  McGregor  and  Prairie  du 
Chien,  but  they  were  not  traced  to  any  organized  gang  until  the 
thieves  fell  out  among  themselves  and  one  of  their  number  gave  the 
startling  information  which  opened  the  eyes  of  the  authorities.  S.  L. 
Peck  headed  a  posse  which  captured  three  who  were  camping  on 
Big  Island,  opposite  the  mouth  of  Sny  Magill  creek.  They  learned 
that  the  leader  of  the  gang  was  known  as  Dr.  Bell,  and  that  he  had 
a  boat,  loaded  with  stolen  goods,  down  the  river.  The  authorities 
attempted  to  make  the  arrest  and  shots  were  exchanged  in  which  Bell 
was  wounded,  but  the  officers  were  unable  to  capture  him.  Returning 
to  McGregor  a  larger  posse  was  gathered,  the  ferry  boat,  McGregor, 
secured,  and  a  second  attempt  made  to  capture  the  pirate,  but  he  had 
escaped.     Two  other  boats  loaded  with  plunder  were  found  further 


PROGRESS  AND  POVERTY — 185O-1860  121 

down  the  river,  and  not  less  than  $5,000  worth  of  property  was  dis- 
covered. A  vigilance  committee  was  formed,  and  at  Prairie  du  Chien 
some  of  the  pirates  were  roughly  handled  and  made  to  confess  some- 
thing of  the  workings  of  the  gang.  It  was  found  that  there  were 
scores  of  river  pirates  connected  with  this  outfit;  that  they  operated 
both  on  the  Mississippi  and  on  the  Ohio ;  that  they  had  agents  at 
New  Orleans,  and  that  regular  boats  took  the  plunder  to  the  Texas 
coast  for  disposal.  In  June,  S.  W.  Carpenter  of  the  Dubuque  detective 
force  eflfected  the  capture  of  Bell,  who,  under  many  aliases,  was  the 
captain  of  the  pirate  gang.  The  officer  and  his  prisoner  arrived  at 
McGregor  on  the  steamer  Gray  Eagle  in  the  evening  and,  says  the 
Times,  "were  escorted  from  the  levee  to  the  McGregor  house  by  some 
hundreds  of  our  citizens,  who  were  looking  anxiously  for  their  arrival, 
as  a  dispatch  had  been  received  stating  that  Bell  had  been  arrested 
and  would  be  here  that  evening.  The  crowd  was  almost  wild  with 
excitement,  and  manifested  their  satisfaction  at  his  arrest  and  appre- 
ciation of  the  services  of  Mr.  Carpenter  by  giving  that  gentleman 
three  as  hearty  cheers  as  ever  were  heard  on  the  shores  of  the  Missis- 
sippi." The  pursuit  of  Bell  was  as  exciting  as  any  story  ever  told 
by  Nick  Carter.  The  officer  traced  him  to  many  towns  in  Illinois, 
back  to  Iowa,  at  Davenport,  thence  across  through  Illinois  to  Chicago, 
being  always  just  a  little  behind  his  man.  A  clue  was  followed  to  Glen 
Haven,  Mich.,  and  the  arrest  was  made  at  Pier  Cove,  Mich.,  where 
he  had  found  refuge  with  a  gang  of  counterfeiters.  Although  there 
was  much  excitement,  there  was  no  thought  of  lynching  at  McGregor, 
unless  an  attempt  at  rescue  was  made  and,  on  the  following  day, 
Deputy  Sheriff  Tuttle  took  the  prisoner  to  the  county  jail  at  Garna- 
villo.  Bell  and  other  members  of  the  gang  were  tried  and  the  gang 
was  broken  up,  but  the  light  sentences  given  were  very  unsatisfac- 
tory to  McGregor  people. 

Another  sensation  which  stirred  McGregor  and  the  whole  of 
Clayton  county  was  the  assault  of  Alexander  McGregor  upon  James 
M.  McKinley.  McKinley  was  counsel  for  James  McGregor  in  the 
celebrated  suit  against  Alex  McGregor,  and  during  one  of  the  many 
trials  had  made  remarks  derogatory  to  Alexander.  IMcKinley  went 
to  McGregor  on  business  and  Alexander  McGregor  met  him  on  the 
street  and  assaulted  him.  It  is  stated  that  IMcGregor  threw  him  down 
and  continued  striking  him  until  the  blood  streamed  down  McKinley's 
face.  McGregor  justified  his  actions  on  the  ground  that  McKinley 
had  grossly  insulted  him  by  his  remarks  at  the  trial. 

Political  Unrest — 1858  was  the  year  of  the  great  Douglas-Lincoln 
debates,  a  political  duel  which  stirred  the  whole  nation  and  which 
changed  the  course  of  American  history.  Viewing  Lincoln  as  we  do 
today,  as  the  incomparable  orator,  as  Avell  as  the  great  statesman  and 
martyr,  it  is  hard  to  realize  that  Colonel  Richardson  could  have  said 
what  he  did  in  his  issue  of  June  30,  under  the  caption,  "Abraham 
Lincoln."  The  Times  said:  "This  gentleman  (Lincoln)  is  settled 
upon  by  the  Republicans  of  Illinois  to  succeed  Mr.  Douglas  as  Senator, 
in  case  the  legislature  to  be  elected  in  November  shall  contain  an 
opposition  majority.  Mr.  Lincoln,  in  a  speech  comparing  his  qualifi- 
cations with  those  of  his  distinguished  opponent,  remarks  that  a  living 


122  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

dog  is  better  than  a  dead  lion,  and  the  admirer  of  this  self -named 
living  dog  regards  the  canine  illustration  as  evincive  of  a  wit  that 
should  scintillate  only  in  that  most  learned  and  dignified  body,  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States.  Mr.  Lincoln  has  the  reputation  of  being 
a  wag,  but  we  did  not  know  before  that,  from  the  confessed  nature 
of  the  man,  the  waggery  appertained  to  that  portion  of  his  organism 
which  a  real  dog  possesses.  We  have  heard  this  man  speak  and,  with- 
out flattering  some  very  ordinary  aspirants  to  oratorical  honors  to 
whom  we  have  listened,  we  think  Mr.  Lincoln  exceeds  in  dullness 
almost  any  stumper  we  ever  heard.  Douglas  and  himself  being 
pitted  against  each  other,  it  is  expected  they  will  canvass  the  state 
in  company,  and  if  the  'living  dog'  is  not  cur-tailed  close  up  before 
the  so-called  dead  lion  gets  through  with  him  we  shall  drop  all  pre- 
tentions to  prophecy.  Who  that  has  a  particle  of  state  pride  or  love 
of  country  would  see,  unmoved,  the  master  spirit  of  American  politics, 
the  exponent  of  correct  domestic  principle  and  the  defender  of  na- 
tional honor  step  out  of  his  place  in  the  Senate  to  admit  a  man 
whose  tastes  and  sense  combined  could  not  prevent  him  from  appro- 
priating to  himself  the  title  of  a  'living  dog.'  A  title,  by  the  way, 
that  will  stick  to  him  as  long  as  he  wears  hair.  IlHnois  certainly  can 
do  better  than  to  take  such  a  man  as  this  from  his  kennel."  In  justice 
to  Mr.  Richardson  it  must  be  said,  at  once,  that  within  a  few  years 
he  revised  his  opinion  of  Lincoln  and  was  loyal  to  the  Union.  Doug- 
las was,  however,  at  this  time  his  idol,  as  he  was  of  thousands  of 
other  people. 

Trip  Through  County — A  side  light  upon  county  aflfairs  is  given  by 
Mr.  Richardson  when  he  tells  that  on  a  recent  trip  through  the  county 
he  found  Elkader  dull,  with  fishing  in  the  Turkey  river  the  chief 
occupation,  that  prairie  chicken  are  plentiful  and  that  hunters  often 
kill  30,  50  and  60  in  a  day.  Concerning  the  crop  he  says :  "They  are 
far  below  an  average ;  many  fields  of  wheat  straw  were  harvested 
with  fire,  some  were  given  to  the  hogs ;  the  saved  wheat  will  run  from 
3  to  12  bushels  to  the  acre.  Oats  is  about  a  half  crop  in  appearance, 
but  it  is  said  the  grain  is  unusually  light,  not  more  than  20  pounds  to 
the  measured  bushel.  Corn  looks  unusually  well,  except  that  it  shows 
a  tendency  to  stalk.  Grass  is  about  parallel  in  excellence.  Potatoes 
are  said  to  be  rotting.    An  early  frost  will  play  havoc  with  the  corn." 

Election  of  1858 — The  lines  were  drawn  for  the  political  battle  of 
1858  along  still  sharper  lines  than  ever  before.  The  Dred  Scott  de- 
cision, the  Douglas-Lincoln  debates,  the  growing  feeling  between 
North  and  South  furnished  the  bones  of  contention.  W.  E.  Lefiingwell, 
Democrat,  was  opposed  for  Congress  by  William  Vandever  of  Du- 
buque, and  they  held  joint  debates  throughout  the  district,  which 
were  attended  by  eager  crowds  of  partisans.  The  Democrats  nom- 
inated William  McClintock  for  judge,  Elijah  Odell  for  prosecuting  at- 
torney, William  Pattee  for  member  of  board  of  education  and  the  Re- 
publican candidates  for  these  offices  were  E.  H.  Williams,  Milo  Mc- 
Glathery  and  A.  D.  F.  Hildreth.  Judge  Price  and  Samuel  Mur- 
dock  were  bitterly  opposed  to  the  election  of  WiUiams,  and  a  num- 
ber of  sharp  letters  were  exchanged  through  the  medium  of  the  press. 
Robert  R.  Read  declined  the  Democratic  nomination  for  clerk,  recom- 


PROGRESS   AND   POVERTY — 185O-1860  1 23 

mending  the  support  of  Updegraff,  who  had  tied  for  a  RepubHcan  nom- 
ination with  Dr.  Hutchinson. 

In  the  Times  of  Sept.  29,  1858,  is  published  a  legal  notice  signed 
by  James  McGregor  warning  against  trespass  on  the  Giard  claim.  This 
is  followed  by  a  lengthy  opinion  of  the  Supreme  Court,  signed  by  Judge 
George  F.  Wright,  in  which  the  claim  of  James  McGregor  is  sus- 
tained and  the  ruling  is  adverse  to  Alexander  McGregor  at  every  point. 
It  was  but  a  few  months  after  this  decision  that  Alexander  McGregor 
died,  his  death  occurring  Dec.  12,  1858,  and  he  was  sincerely  mourned 
by  the  people  of  the  city.  A  biography  of  this  pioneer  citizen  is  given 
in  another  chapter.  Alexander  McGregor  willed  to  the  proprietors 
of  North  McGregor  $5,000  to  build  a  road  to  Monona,  12  miles  west, 
and  this  work  was  begun  in  1859. 

Journal  Founded — In  May,  1858,  "The  Clayton  County  Journal" 
was  founded  on  the  ruins  of  the  old  Herald,  with  Willard  F.  Howard 
as  editor.  This  paper  was  published  at  Guttenberg,  was  Republican 
m  politics,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  defense  of  Guttenberg  as  the 
county  seat.  The  Journal,  as  the  county  seat  paper,  contains,  if  any- 
thing, more  of  the  news  of  the  county  than  does  the  McGregor  paper. 
Among  other  matters  mentioned,  in  its  issue  of  June  10,  is  the  pros- 
pective establishment  of  a  large  woolen  factory  at  Elkader  and  it  also 
states,  what  was  not  published  by  the  Times,  that  the  railroad  company 
at  McGregor  was  forced  to  discharge  all  its  men  and  suspend  its 
operation  on  account  of  lack  of  funds.  It  was  during  this  year  that  it 
was  proposed  to  erect  a  county  high  school  building  at  Garnavillo.  The 
citizens  subscribed  $2,000,  together  with  two  blocks  of  land,  and  the 
county  was  to  give  $18,000  for  the  building.  Later  a  decision  was 
made  that  county  funds  could  not  be  used  for  this  purpose  but  the 
building  was  erected  by  private  parties  with  the  idea  that  it  would  be 
taken  over  by  the  county.  This  was  not  done  and  it  was  operated 
as  a  private  academy  until  finally  abandoned  on  account  of  lack  of 
support. 

Gold  Discovery — It  was  in  1858  also  that  there  was  great  excite- 
ment on  account  of  the  discovery  of  gold  at  Strawberry  Point.  This 
was  said  to  have  been  found  on  the  farm  of  "Widow  Massey,"  and 
also  near  Volga  City.  Not  enough  was  found,  however,  to  pay  more 
than  50  cents  a  day  and  the  excitement  soon  died  down. 

This  was  a  period  of  great  activity  in  school  work.  There  were 
school  celebrations  and  picnics  in  the  various  parts  of  the  county 
and  the  first  term  of  the  county  high  school  was  announced  to  open  at 
Garnavillo,  September  6,  with  J.  Briggs  as  principal.  At  the  close  of 
the  school  term,  there  was  to  be  a  teachers'  institute  of  one  week.  This 
school  remained  open  but  a  few  weeks,  closing  to  await  the  erection  of 
the  proposed  county  building.  At  the  election,  all  of  the  Republican 
candidates  received  majorities  exceeding  300,  except  Judge  Williams, 
who  was  defeated  in  this  county  by  330,  but  who  was  elected  by  the 
vote  of  the  district.  There  had  been  a  change  in  the  judicial  districts 
by  the  constitution  of  1857,  which  legislated  Judge  Murdock  out  of 
office,  and  upon  the  election  of  Williams,  to  whom  he  was  bitterly 
opposed,  Judge  Murdock  instituted  proceedings  to  retain  his  office  for 
a  longer  period,  but  this  he  later  abandoned  and  Judge  Williams  took 


124  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

his  seat.  Updegrafif  was  re-elected  clerk,  without  opposition.  Possibly- 
owing  to  the  small  attendance  the  preceding  year  the  Agricultural 
Society  took  no  steps  toward  holding  a  fair  in  1858,  but  the  people  of 
Farmersburg  held  an  independent  fair,  which  proved  quite  a  success. 

First  Teachers'  Institute — The  first  teachers'  institute  held  in  Clay- 
ton county  convened  at  Garnavillo  November  7,  1858.  J.  Briggs  was 
the  conductor,  and  lectures  were  delivered  by  Rev.  L.  T.  Mathews 
and  J.  O.  Crosby.  Others  taking  part  were  Mrs.  Preston,  of  Elkader ; 
Miss  Smith,  of  Volga  City ;  Mrs.  Morrow,  of  Volga  City;  Prof.  Bugbee, 
of  Fayette  Seminary,  and  Superintendent  Brown.  A  teachers'  asso- 
ciation was  formed  with  J.  Briggs  as  president  and  W.  H.  Muzzy,  of 
Elkader,  as  secretary.  O.  D.  Eno  was  prominent  in  teaching  circles, 
and  announced  a  meeting  to  take  place  at  Elkader  in  January,  1859. 
This  meeting  was  addressed  by  E.  A.  Crary,  and  essays  were  read  by 
Mrs.  S.  A.  Angier  and  Miss  Stebbins. 

Murder  of  William  Potter — The  county  was  again  excited  by  a 
murder  which  occurred  at  Garnavillo.  According  to  the  story  told 
by  witnesses,  a  stranger,  who  gave  his  name  as  William  Potter,  went 
to  the  house  of  John  Wentworth  and  demanded  lodging.  He  was 
refused  and  returned  to  the  house  with  an  axe.  Wentworth  called 
William  Gladdin  to  his  aid  and,  as  Potter  rushed  at  Wentworth  with 
the  axe,  Gladdin  shot  him.  A  coroner's  jury  heard  the  case,  and 
Gladdin  was  acquitted  on  the  grounds  of  self-defense. 

YEAR  BOOK  OF  1 859 

In  January,  1859,  the  directors  of  the  county  high  school  brought 
suit  against  the  county  judge  to  compel  him  to  pay  $3,000  to  the 
support  of  that  institution  as  it  was  claimed  the  law  provided.  Judge 
Murdock  and  J.  O.  Crosby  appeared  for  the  high  school  and  Reuben 
Noble  and  Milo  McGlathey  for  the  town.  The  decision  was  against 
the  high  school.  In  February,  1859,  the  county  seat  question  came  to 
a  head  before  the  county  court,  the  adherents  of  Guttenberg  claiming 
that,  under  the  law,  there  was  no  April  election  to  be  held.  They  also 
attacked  the  validity  of  the  petition  which  was  sworn  to  by  Alonzo 
Brown,  whereas  it  was  claimed  that  it  should  have  been  sworn  to  by 
those  who  circulated  the  petition.  Judge  Crary  decided  to  receive  the 
petition,  which  was  signed  by  1,535  voters,  and  the  election  was 
ordered.  On  March  i  the  Journal  speaks  of  the  lack  of  interest  in 
the  county  seat  contest,  but  there  was  no  lack  of  interest  when  the 
election  day  approached,  and  Garnavillo  was  triumphant  by  a  vote  of 
i)905>  to  1,747  cast  for  Guttenberg.  The  Garnavillo  people  went  over 
to  move  the  county  belongings,  and  there  was,  at  Garnavillo,  a  repe- 
tition of  the  scenes  of  rejoicing  which  had  taken  place  at  Guttenberg 
but  a  few  years  before.  The  same  month  the  Journal  migrated  also, 
and  it  appeared,  on  January  26,  under  a  Garnavillo  dateline.  The 
first  mention  of  Col.  Joseph  F.  Eiboeck,  who  was  afterward  to  become 
such  an  important  factor,  first  in  Clayton  county,  then  in  the  state,  and 
afterward  in  the  nation,  is  found  in  the  Garnavillo  Journal  of  May  10, 
1859,  when  he  delivered  an  address  on  "Hungary"  at  the  German 
school.     With  the  location  of  the  county  seat  at  Garnavillo  efforts 


PROGRESS   AND    POVERTY — 185O-1860  I25 

•were  made  for  the  erection  of  a  county  building,  and  the  grand  jury- 
reported  the  jail  as  totally  unfit  and  also  recommended  the  erection  of 
a  building  for  county  offices.  There  was  too  much  jealousy  throughout 
the  county  to  permit  of  any  building  being  done,  but  Garnavillo  took 
on  renewed  prosperity  with  the  coming  of  the  county  seat. 

Guttenberg  was  not  long  without  a  newspaper,  and  in  May,  1859, 
the  Mississippi  Valley  Register  was  founded  by  McBride,  Tipton  &  Co., 
McBride  having  formerly  been  with  the  Herald.  Tipton  remained  with 
the  paper  but  a  short  time  and,  in  January,  i860,  O.  D.  Eno  became 
the  editor.  It  was  a  democratic  paper,  and  it  suspended  not  long  after 
the  election  of  Lincoln,  in  i860.  In  August,  1859,  the  McGregor  Press 
was  started  by  George  and  S.  S.  Haisitt,  and  its  editor  was  Orlando 
McCraney.  Unfortunately  no  copies  of  these  papers  are  now  to  be  had. 
The  people  of  Farmersburg  were  so  pleased  with  the  success  of  their 
fair  in  1858  that  they  organized  and  held  a  second  fair  in  October, 
1859,  but  on  account  of  the  excitement  pertaining  to  the  election,  there 
was  no  account  of  it  in  any  of  the  county  papers. 

Politics — The  campaign  of  1859  was  bitterly  fought.  Hon.  Tim- 
othy Davis  was  president,  and  Eliphalet  Price  was  vice  president,  of 
the  Republican  state  convention  which  nominated  S.  J.  Kirk  wood  for 
governor.  The  Democrats  nominated  A.  C.  Dodge,  and  the  issues 
were  joined.  Joseph  Eiboeck  purchased  the  Journal,  August  4,  1859, 
and  at  first  attempted  to  conduct  it  as  an  independent  newspaper,  but 
he  soon  declared  himself  as  a  Republican.  Mr.  Eiboeck  quickly  showed 
himself  to  be  a  powerful  writer  and  a  clear  thinker  although  he  was 
apt  to  be  carried  away  by  his  enthusiasms,  and  he  entered  at  once 
into  the  campaign.  At  the  Republican  convention  held  at  Garnavillo, 
Mr.  Chesly  acted  as  chairman.  There  was  a  contesting  delegation 
from  Sperry,  and  excitement  ran  high.  John  Garber,  H.  S.  Granger 
and  E.  P.  Olmstead  were  candidates  for  county  judge,  Garber  being 
nominated.  Jacob  Nicklaus  was  nominated  for  recorder,  W.  S.  Scott 
for  sheriff,  J.  W.  Van  Orman  for  superintendent,  R.  G.  McClellan  for 
surveyor,  Henry  Schumacher  for  drainage  commissioner,  and  F.  \V. 
Sherman  for  coroner.  For  the  legislature,  Gilbert  Douglas  was  nomi- 
nated for  the  senate  and  Samuel  Merrell  and  D.  C.  Baker  for  repre- 
sentatives. This  was  the  first  political  recognition  of  Samuel  Merrell, 
who  was  afterwards  to  become  governor  of  Iowa.  The  Democrats 
nominated  D.  Hammer  for  senator  and  A.  M.  Renwick  and  S.  R.  Peet 
for  representatives.  A  third  convention,  by  the  so-called  "People's 
party,"  was  called  at  Clayton  Center.  A.  E.  Wanzer  was  at  the  head 
of  this  movement,  and  a  full  county  ticket  was  placed  in  the  field. 

Joint  meetings  were  the  order  of  the  day,  and  the  Journal  tells 
of  such  a  gathering  at  Garnavillo.  A.  C.  Rogers,  Republican,  and 
Dr.  F.  Andros,  Democrat,  presided.  D.  Baugh,  Democratic  candi- 
date for  county  judge,  was  the  first  speaker.  He  was  followed  by 
Reuben  Noble  and,  although  approving  the  political  portion  of  his 
address,  Col.  Eiboeck  disapproved  of  the  personalities  with  which  he 
attacked  Mr.  Baugh.  Mr.  Odell  also  spoke  for  democracy.  Mr, 
Eiboeck  states  that  he  thinks  such  meetings  do  no  good  and  simply 
excite  the  people  against  each  other.  At  this  election  the  proposal  to 
issue  bonds  for  $15,000,  bearing  10  per  cent  interest,  for  the  erection 


126  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

of  a  courthouse,  was  voted  upon  and  defeated.  The  result  of  the 
election  was  mixed.  Hammer  (Dem.)  was  elected  for  the  senate  by 
1 6  majority,  and  Merrell  (Rep.)  and  Peet  (Dem.)  were  elected  repre- 
sentatives. John  Garber  was  elected  county  judge  by  a  large  majority, 
as  was  also  Jacob  Nicklaus.  Horace  Emery  (Dem.)  was  elected  super- 
intendent, Ezra  Hurd  (Dem.)  surveyor,  John  W.  Potts  (Dem.)  drain- 
age commissioner,  John  P.  Kriebs  (Dem.)  coroner  and  John  Kauffman 
(Dem.)    sheriff. 

It  was  just  after  this  election  that  John  Brown  made  his  famous 
raid  on  Harper's  Ferry.  Both  the  Republican  and  the  Democratic 
papers  denounced  John  Brown  in  the  strongest  terms.  Col.  Eiboeck 
stated  that  "we  hope  they  will  send  him  (Brown)  to  the  lunatic  asylum 
for  lifetime,  or,  if  he  has  his  senses,  hang  him  at  once.  Men — nay,  not 
men — Abolitionists,  throughout  the  whole  north,  appeared  to  have 
co-operated  with  this  Brown,  and  plans  have  come  to  light  which,  if 
they  had  succeeded,  would  have  resulted  in  the  death  of  many  thou- 
sands, and  perhaps  in  the  destruction  of  this  hitherto  happy  confed- 
eracy of  the  states  of  America." 

In  November,  1859,  Alonzo  Brown  makes  his  report  as  county 
superintendent.  The  number  of  persons  of  school  age  was  6,851,  an 
increase  of  489.  The  number  of  pupils  attending  was  3,695,  and  the 
average  attendance  2,337.  ^^^  hundred  and  eight  schools  were  taught 
in  the  county,  and  there  were  eighty-five  schoolhouses,  varying  in 
valuation  from  $5  to  $3,500.  Marion  township  had  had  no  school, 
as  it  had  no  schoolhouses.  Male  teachers  were  paid  from  $4  to  $9.50, 
averaging  $5.50  per  week.  Female  teachers  were  paid  from  $2.08  to 
$5  per  week,  averaging  about  $3.  The  superintendent  thinks  these 
wages  too  low. 

APPROACH    OF    WAR 

Closing  this  period,  from  1850  to  i860,  we  find  a  county  that 
has  been  tried  and  tested  by  adversity  but  that  has  come  through 
triumphant.  The  people  have  responded  to  the  calls  of  civic  life  with 
splendid  zeal  and  high  courage ;  bent,  but  not  broken,  by  the  hardships 
they  were  forced  to  meet.  But  this  fiery  test  was  but  the  preparedness 
for  the  supreme  test  of  manhood  and  citizenship  which  was  to  come. 
They  had  won  the  victories  of  peace ;  the  victories  of  war  were  before 
them.  The  people  of  Clayton  county  approached  the  great  crisis  in 
the  nation's  history  with  eyes  wide  open.  They  had  builded  well. 
Their  institutions  were  sane  and  sound.  They  had  developed  and 
maintained  a  healthy,  sturdy  manhood ;  a  manhood  which  was  to  go 
forth,  unreservedly,  in  their  country's  service.  Their  consciences  were 
clear  and  they  were  unafraid.  The  men  of  the  south  made  their 
greatest  mistake  in  that  they  did  not  take  into  account  the  quiet, 
undemonstrative,  but  no  less  determined  and  eifective  patriotism  and 
fighting  qualities  of  just  such  men  as  these  in  Clayton  county.  The 
history  of  this  decade  can  not  be  more  fittingly  ended  than  by  using 
the  prophetic  words  of  Col.  Eiboeck,  in  the  Elkader  Journal,  to  close 
the  record  of  the  dying  year  1859.  "Reader,  wherever  you  may  be, 
look  a  short  distance  into  the  future,  and  see  what  stirring  events  are 
before  you.    Let  us  all  be  prepared  to  meet  them  with  becoming  man- 


PROGRESS  AND  POVERTY — 185O-1860  12/ 

hood;  let  us  all  stand  firmly  forth  in  this  country,  determined  to 
brave  the  impending  blasts ;  and  Heaven  grant  that  our  proud  and 
happy  country  may  outride  the  storm.  In  America,  the  land  of  Wash- 
ington, Jefferson  and  Franklin,  we  see  around  us,  everywhere,  the 
signs  of  a  desperate  and  terrible  conflict,  such  a  one  as  has  never 
before  been  witnessed  since  the  days  of  her  revolution.  Americans, 
a  second  great  revolution  is  before  you,  as  great  as  that  which  severed 
your  connection  with  the  mother  country.  On  the  one  side  is  arraigned 
the  free  and  independent  thinker  of  the  north,  the  offspring  of  New 
England  bravery,  the  sons  of  New  England  revolutionists.  Men  who 
have  depended  upon  their  own  labor  and  industry  for  all  they  are 
and  all  they  expect  to  be,  imbued  with  a  courage  and  perseverance 
that  are  ever  active,  whether  the  danger  is  near  or  far  off.  Vigilant 
in  the  midst  of  peace,  brave  in  the  midst  of  danger,  and  when  his 
principles  are  involved  in  the  issue,  he  knows  no  compromise.  For 
our  own  part  we  shall  battle  with  the  hosts  of  freeman,  trusting  to 
the  rectitude  of  our  principles  and  a  just  Providence  for  success." 


CHAPTER  V 


ANTE-BELLUM  DAYS— 1860-61— DOMESTIC  AFFAIRS 

ELKADER   COUNTY   SEAT — LINCOLN    CAMPAIGN — EVENTS   OF    1860 RUSH 

TO  pike's  peak — ELKADER  MILL  FIRE — BOARD  OF  SUPERVISORS — COUN- 
TY JAIL — COURT   HOUSE — SUPERVISOR  SYSTEM   CHANGED. 

POLITICAL  events  were  moving  swiftly  throughout  the  nation,  and 
while  the  people  of  Clayton  county  were  intensely  interested  in  all 
that  was  going  on  round  about  them,  they  nevertheless  pursued  the 
even  tenor  of  their  way.  The  country  was  emerging  from  the 
bitter  hard  times,  and  the  very  intensity  with  which  men  grappled 
with  the  great  moral  issues  seemed  to  be  reflected  in  the  business 
world.  All  of  the  various  towns  in  the  county  were  enjoying  growth 
and  prosperity  and  making  many  improvements.  The  influx  of  settlers 
was  still  great,  although  not  so  large  as  a  few  years  previously. 
McGregor  and  Clayton  were  still  great  shipping  points.  There  was  no 
railroad  to  compete  with  them  west  of  the  Mississippi  and  north  of 
Dubuque,  and  river  traffic  was  still  heavy. 

McGregor  Land  Titles — At  McGregor  there  was  much  building, 
but  this  was  retarded  by  the  uncertainty  as  to  titles.  Having  won  a 
decision  in  his  suit  against  his  brother,  James  McGregor,  Jr.,  had 
notices  served  upon  the  business  men  of  McGregor  that  they  must 
either  buy  at  his  price,  or  sell  to  him.  or  be  prepared  to  stand  suit. 
This  course  was  deeply  resented  by  McGregor  citizens,  who  claimed 
that  the  title  had  not  been  fully  adjudicated,  and  that,  under  any 
circumstances,  they  were  not  prepared  to  pay  any  price  which  McGregor 
might  ask.  Duncan  McGregor,  representing  the  estate  of  Alexander 
McGregor,  encouraged  the  business  men  to  disregard  these  notices  of 
suit,  and  ofifered  to  defend  them  in  case  of  court  action.  The  citizens 
met  at  the  office  of  Noble  and  Drummond  and  decided  to  make  no 
bargains  with  any  party  until  the  case  was  finally  out  of  court.  Sen- 
ator Hammer,  with  the  aid  of  Representatives  Merrell  and  Peet,  secured 
the  passage  of  a  law  to  protect  settlers  from  loss  in  such  cases  as  that 
at  McGregor.  Some  compromise  was  finally  effected  between  the 
McGregor  litigants,  and  James  McGregor,  Jr.,  advertises  that  he  will 
soon  be  ready  to  make  perfect  titles,  and  the  commissioners  appointed 
by  court  divided  portions  of  the  property  between  the  contestants.  In 
April,  i860,  the  McGregor  Land  Company,  composed  of  John  Thomp- 
son, Jedediah  Brown,  Reuben  Noble  and  O.  C.  Lee,  with  Willis  Drum- 


130  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

mend  as  agent,  offered  lands  for  sale,  guaranteeing  perfect  title  and 
opening  a  new  addition  which  was  called  "Brickyard  Coulee."  The 
litigation  was  not  ended,  however,  and  the  matter  hung  fire  for  a  long 
time  before  it  was  finally  adjusted.  The  business  men  formed  a  close 
alliance,  employing  attorneys  and  pledging  themselves,  in  writing,  to 
act  as  a  unit  and  not  to  make  any  personal  settlement  with  James 
McGregor,  Jr. 

Elkader  County  Seat — The  first  part  of  the  year  i860  was  largely 
devoted  to  a  settlement  of  the  county  seat  question.  Elkader  was 
again  in  the  field  as  against  Garnavillo.  Col.  Eiboeck  and  his  news- 
paper, the  Journal,  supported  his  home  town,  Garnavillo.  The  Register 
and  the  people  of  Guttenberg,  embittered  by  their  own  defeat,  sup- 
ported Elkader,  just  as  Elkader  previously  supported  Garnavillo,  after 
its  defeat  by  Guttenberg.  McGregor  took  but  little  interest  in  the 
contest,  the  Times  supporting  Garnavillo,  but  in  a  mild  manner.  Among 
the  leaders  for  Elkader  were  Judge  Price,  Mike  Weaver,  A.  E.  Wan- 
zer,  H.  D.  Bronson,  J.  McBride  and  Lew  Davis.  The  Garnavillo  and 
Guttenberg  papers  were  filled  with  editorials,  contributed  articles  and 
burlesques  on  both  sides.  The  election  was  held  on  May  2,  and  on 
that  day  the  Journal  publishes,  in  large  black  type,  the  following: 
"We  understand  that  old  Wanzer  has  been  trying  to  mislead  several 
voters,  who  happened  to  be  Garnavillo  men,  as  to  the  day  of  the  elec- 
tion. Remember  that  the  election  comes  off  on  Monday,  the  second 
day  of  April,  i860."  There  was  one  good  thing  about  this  election: 
it  was  apparent  that  the  people  had  determined  that  this  would  be  a 
final  contest,  that  the  county  seat  should  cease  to  be  migratory,  and 
that  some  suitable  buildings  should  be  erected.  The  vote  was  Garna- 
villo, 1,380;  Elkader,  2,019. 

Immediate  steps  were  taken  for  the  removal  of  the  county  prop- 
erty. Judge  Garber,  Clerk  Updegraff,  Treasurer  Nicklaus  and  Col. 
Eiboeck  made  a  trip  to  Elkader  to  secure  suitable  quarters  for  the 
county  seat.  They  describe  Elkader,  speaking  of  the  large  mill,  and 
saying:  "There  are  four  stores  in  the  place,  one  kept  by  H.  Carter, 
one  by  Coates  &  Co.,  one  by  Mr.  Boardman,  and  one  by  Mr.  Ellsworth, 
recently  of  McGregor.  There  are  two  hotels.  The  judge  was  success- 
ful in  procuring  a  building  for  the  courthouse,  which  is  a  three-story 
brick  house  on  First  street,  near  the  building  that  was  formerly  used 
as  a  courthouse." 

Garnavillo  tried  to  stop  the  removal,  and  Judge  Williams  granted 
an  injunction  based  on  the  alleged  illegality  of  the  petition  under 
which  the  election  took  place.  This  injunction  was  speedily  dissolved, 
however,  and  the  removal  was  made.  This  election  aroused  very  bit- 
ter feelings  among  the  people  of  Guttenberg,  Garnavillo  and  Elkader. 
Garnavillo  people  were  especially  incensed  at  Guttenberg,  and  this 
feud  between  the  two  possible  contenders  in  future  elections  was  a 
factor  in  making  the  county  seat  permanent,  Elkader  having  retained 
the  seat  of  government  since  i860,  a  period,  now,  of  fifty-six  years. 
The  newspaper  followed  the  county  seat,  and  the  Clayton  County  Jour- 
nal made  its  first  appearance  in  Elkader  on  Monday,  April  30,  i860. 

Lincoln  Campaign — The  campaign  of  i860  has  no  parallel  in 
American  history.     It  was  felt  on  all  sides  that  the  issues  involved. 


ANTE-BELLUM    DAYS — 1860-1861 — DOMESTIC   AFFAIRS  I3I 

not  the  presidency  alone,  but  that  the  question  of  war  or  peace,  union 
or  disunion,  was  to  be  settled.  The  Democrats  met  in  national  con- 
vention, were  deadlocked  for  a  long  period,  and  finally  nominated 
Stephen  A.  Douglas  for  president  and  Benjamin  Fitzpatrick,  of  Ala- 
bama, for  vice-president.  Fitzpatrick  resigned,  however,  and  Herschell 
V.  Johnson,  of  Georgia,  was  substituted  as  vice-presidential  candidate. 
A  large  number  of  Democrats  seceded  from  this  convention  and  Breck- 
enridge  was  also  nominated  on  a  Democratic  ticket.  In  the  meantime, 
the  Republicans  met  at  Chicago,  in  May,  and  after  a  spirited  contest, 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  made  the  nominee.  In  the  light  of  history  it 
might  seem  that  the  sentiment  of  the  northern  states  was  all  one  way, 
but  this  was  not  the  case,  and  the  campaign  was  hardly  fought  in  every 
state.  The  influence  of  the  Buchanan  administration  was  thrown  to 
the  Breckenridge  ticket.  Col.  Richardson,  of  McGregor,  was  a  per- 
sonal friend  and  strong  partisan  of  Douglass ;  he  was  also  postmaster 
at  McGregor  and,  rather  than  follow  the  dictates  of  the  administration, 
he  resigned  his  office.  There  were  meetings  some  place  in  Clayton 
county  during  almost  every  night  of  the  campaign.  Douglass  spoke 
at  Dubuque  and  Col.  Richardson  chartered  a  boat  and  headed  an 
enthusiastic  delegation  from  McGregor  and  Guttenberg.  The  Wis- 
consin Democratic  state  convention  was  held  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
prominent  citizens  of  Wisconsin  spoke  at  McGregor.  Henry  Gay 
Dean,  one  of  the  most  noted  orators  of  democracy,  spoke  at  McGregor 
and  at  West  Union.  Ben  Samuels,  Democratic  nominee  for  Congress, 
and  Vandever,  his  Republican  opponent,  had  a  series  of  joint  debates, 
speaking,  in  this  county,  at  McGregor,  Elkader  and  Guttenberg.  It 
was  the  fashion,  in  those  days,  to  belittle  every  eflFort  of  the  political 
opponent,  so  that  no  fair  judgment  of  these  debates  can  be  obtained 
from  the  newspaper  accounts.  At  all  the  towns  in  the  county  meetings 
were  held  at  which  local  leaders  of  both  parties  spoke.  D.  Baugh,  as 
Democratic  chairman,  announced  meetings  at  Giard,  National,  Monona, 
Garnavillo,  Clayton  City,  Wagner  township,  Elkader,  Cox  Creek  town- 
ship, Volga  City,  Strawberry  Point,  Yankee  Settlement,  Elkport,  Read 
township  and  Guttenberg.  The  Republicans  were  no  less  active.  Upon 
receipt  of  news  of  Lincoln's  nomination,  a  ratification  meeting  was 
held  at  Elkader,  with  James  Davis  as  chairman  and  T.  Updegraff  secre- 
tary. S.  L.  Peck,  S.  P.  Adams,  of  Dubuque,  and  Reuben  Noble 
addressed  the  meeting. 

A  Lincoln  Club  was  formed  for  Boardman  township,  with  Charles 
W.  Richardson  as  president,  and  a  vigilance  committee  was  named 
for  each  school  district.  At  Strawberry  Point,  a  Lincoln  club  was 
formed  with  Joseph  C.  Tremain  as  president  and  W.  H.  Stearns  as 
secretary.  Hon.  R.  E.  Fenton,  a  New  York  Congressman,  spoke  in 
Strawberry  Point.  At  Volga  City  the  Republicans  were  addressed 
by  Elijah  Odell,  before  a  crowded  schoolhouse.  The  Republican 
county  convention  was  held  at  Garnavillo.  At  this  convention  A.  C. 
Rogers  and  William  Leffingwell  were  candidates  for  clerk,  but  both 
withdrew  in  favor  of  H.  S.  Granger,  who  was  nominated,  although 
he  was  then  in  Kansas.  James  Davis,  Reuben  Noble,  Elijah  Odell, 
B.  T.  Hunt  and  Rev.  Paul  Stockfelt  were  among  the  Republican 
orators,  and  John  T.  Stoneman  was  one  of  the  leaders  of  democracy. 


132  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Men  of  statewide  reputation  came  into  the  county  to  deliver  addresses 
on  both  sides.  Senator  Seward  spoke  at  Dubuque,  and  this  was  the 
great  rally  for  northeastern  Iowa.  A  pole  raising  was  given  by  the 
Republicans  of  Elkport.  This  was  attended  by  800  Republicans,  and 
a  pole  120  feet  high  was  erected,  "exceeding  in  height  the  Douglass 
pole  in  that  place  by  over  50  feet." 

The  first  rooster  which  ever  crowed  in  the  columns  of  a  Qayton 
county  newspaper  appears  in  the  Elkader  Journal  of  October  18,  i860, 
shrieking  "Hurrah  for  Lincoln."  This  was  in  jubilation  over  the 
Republican  success  in  the  October  elections  in  Pennsylvania  and  Indi- 
ana. There  are  a  number  of  other  small  cartoons  used  in  this  issue, 
and  the  Journal  boasts :  "Those  woodcuts  in  our  paper  this  week  were 
engraved  by  R.  H.  Copeland,  our  foreman.  They  are  well  executed, 
considering  the  tools  he  had,  which  were  nothing  but  an  old  jack-knife." 
Thomas  Updegrafif  and  Mr.  Geyhorn  held  a  joint  debate  at  Elkport. 
The  Guttenberg  Register,  Democratic,  declared  that  Mr.  Updegrafif  was 
badly  worsted,  and  the  Elkader  Journal,  Republican,  declared  that  he 
'"got  much  the  better  of  Mr.  Geyhorn."  The  Lincoln  rooster  was 
again  called  into  requisition  to  celebrate  the  "Glorious  News !  Lincoln 
Elected!"  The  vote  of  the  county  was:  Abraham  Lincoln,  2,089; 
Stephen  A.  Douglas,  1,572;  John  C.  Breckenridge,  14.  The  rejoicing 
over  the  election,  on  the  part  of  the  Republicans,  was  tempered,  how- 
ever, by  the  realization  that  the  election  of  Lincoln  meant  southern 
secession  and  that  secession  meant  war.  During  the  last  months  of 
i860  this  became  more  and  more  apparent,  and  the  heat  of  the  cam- 
paign was  succeeded  by  a  glowing  fever  of  patriotism  which  gradually 
swept  away  all  partisanship.  By  the  close  of  the  year  it  was  seen  that 
secession  was  certain. 

Events  of  i860 — Despite  the  excitement  of  the  times  there  were 
many  events  of  local  importance,  and  the  interests  of  the  people  were 
not  entirely  confined  to  political  matters.  The  Good  Templars  were 
strong  throughout  the  county  and  had  many  lodges.  Total  abstinence 
was  their  pledge,  and  the  order  had  a  large  membership.  On  June  5 
a  county  festival  was  held  at  Elkader. 

A  company  of  30  German  emigrants  arrived  at  Guttenberg  in 
i860,  having  bought  a  tract  of  land  in  Volga  township.  There  were 
many  improvements  at  Elkader.  Clayton  was  still  flourishing,  although 
it  was  being  outstripped  by  McGregor. 

The  Fourth  of  July  was  generally  celebrated  throughout  the 
county.  At  McGregor  and  Strawberry  Point,  particularly,  were  cele- 
brations held.  G.  L.  Tremain  was  marshal  of  the  day  at  Strawberry 
Point.    The  Odd  Fellows  had  charge  of  the  celebration  at  Garnavillo. 

In  pursuit  of  the  wary  new  subscriber,  Colonel  Eiboeck  made  a 
canvass  on  foot  throughout  the  county,  and  he  gives  a  splendid  view 
of  the  countryside.  Among  other  things  he  said,  "In  walking  a  dis- 
tance of  seven  miles,  in  Boardman  township,  we  counted  eight  new 
buildings.  We  entered  Cox  Creek  township  and  wended  our  way 
to  Communia,  or  the  old  German  Colony,  as  it  is  called.  The  society 
which  settled  that  place  is  no  more  in  existence,  the  members  being 
scattered  all  over  the  country  and  the  land,  which  in  reality  is  of  the 
very  finest  in  the  county,  is  'in  law'  and  is  being  eaten  up  entirely  by 


ANTE-BELLUM    DAYS — 1860-1861 — DOMESTIC   AFFAIRS  I33 

law  suits.  At  Communia  there  is  a  postoffice,  kept  by  B.  F.  Weis,  who 
keeps  a  good  variety  store.  There  is  also  a  wagon  and  blacksmith 
shop  and  one  tavern,  the  latter  kept  by  Mr.  Bauman.  A  good  German 
physician,  Dr.  Kraft,  is  located  here,  and  a  superior  school  is  taught 
by  a  well-educated  male  teacher."  At  Littleport,  Colonel  Eiboeck  noted 
the  new  store  building  being  built  by  Peick  &  Morath.  The  farm  of 
"Squire  Quigley"  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best  in  the  county.  He 
speaks  highly  of  Strawberry  Point,  of  which  he  says,  "They  have 
a  fine  church,  occupied  by  various  denominations ;  also  two  schools ; 
the  stores  in  the  place  are  doing  a  good  business;  M.  O.  Barnes  and 
William  H.  Stearns  are  entered  as  merchants ;  J.  B.  Miller  as  a  new 
lawyer  and  E.  P.  Rawson  as  a  proprietor  of  a  hotel. 

Rush  to  Pike's  Peak — It  was  during  these  years  that  there  was 
great  excitement  concerning  the  gold  discovery  at  Pike's  Peak.  Scores 
of  men  left  this  county  for  the  long  journey  across  the  plains.  They 
went  from  every  portion  of  the  county,  and  included  not  only  the 
young,  adventurous,  free-footed,  single  men,  but  professional  men  and 
men  with  families.  Mr.  Kinniard  of  McGregor  and  H.  S.  Granger 
were  among  those  to  go.  At  one  time  a  Pike's  Peak  ball  was  held  at 
Garnavillo  as  a  farewell  to  the  many  young  men  who  were  about  to 
leave  that  vicinity.  A  vast  majority  of  these  men  were  disappointed 
and  a  large  percent  of  them  returned  to  the  county. 

Judge  John  Garber  reported  the  receipts  of  the  county  for  the 
year  ending  July  i,  i860,  as  $19,936.49  and  the  disbursements  as 
$19,635.90.  The  outstanding  warrants  were  given  as  $1,068.02.  In 
August  the  contract  was  let  to  Daniel  Mohr  to  rebuild  the  bridge 
which  collapsed  at  Elkport.  Improvements  were  also  made  on  the 
abuttments  of  the  bridge  at  Elkader.  H.  Emery,  county  superintend- 
ent, announced  a  select  school  at  Monona  for  teachers  and  engaged 
Judge  Murdock  and  Colonel  Eiboeck  as  lecturers. 

Concerning  religious  matters  at  Elkader,  it  is  stated  that  "Rev. 
F.  C.  Mather  of  the  M.  E.  Church  is  about  to  leave  and  that  Rev. 
Norton  of  Volga  City  will  preach  in  Elkader  every  two  weeks."  At 
this  time  the  Universalists  had  the  strongest  protestant  church  organ- 
ization in  the  county,  and  a  county  meeting  was  held  in  Elkader  in 
October,  i860.  In  September  the  county  was  visited  by  one  of  the 
severest  rainstorms  ever  known.  Cattle  were  destroyed  by  lightning 
and  the  wind  did  much  damage.  The  county  fair  was  held  at  National, 
in  October,  under  the  direction  of  the  farmers  of  Farmersburg  town- 
ship. 

A  proclamation  for  an  election  for  a  one  mill  tax  for  the  purchase 
of  a  poorhouse  farm  was  issued  by  Judge  Garber,  but  this  proposition 
was  defeated  by  a  vote  of  723  to  307.  In  October,  i860,  is  found  the 
first  mention  of  kerosene  oil  as  a  lighting  fluid.  This  is  advertised 
by  S.  Ellsworth,  and  the  Journal  says  of  it :  "We  use  it  and  find  it  a 
much  cheaper  and  better  light  than  can  be  had  from  any  other  oil  or 
fluid,  besides  being  very  harmless."  A  portion  of  the  advertisement 
consists  of  testimonials,  S.  I.  Hess,  B.  S.  Whitney,  Lyman  Tyler,  J. 
Eiboeck  and  John  Garber  all  testifying  that  they  have  used  kerosene 
oil  with  most  satisfactory  results.  A  new  paper.  The  Elkader  Adver- 
tiser was  started  in  i860,  with  Mr.  Ellsworth  as  editor.     The  prob- 


134  MEMOIKS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

ability  of  secession  and  war  caused  a  great  falling  off  in  markets  and 
prices  at  Elkader,  Nov.  30,  i860,  are  quoted  as  follows:  Wheat  50c 
to  55c ;  oats,  15c ;  corn,  shelled,  30c ;  barley,  30c ;  potatoes,  20c.  Among 
the  freak  election  bets  should  be  noticed  the  one  made  in  Guttenberg 
by  which  William  Potter  solemnly  agreed  that  "if  Lincoln  is  elected 
he  will  not  drink  to  exceed  four  glasses  of  ardent  spirits  per  day  for 
one  month."  Eliphalet  Price  was  the  other  party  to  this  wager  and 
also  solemnly  swore  not  to  take  to  exceed  four  drinks  per  day  if 
Douglas  was  elected.  This  document  was  sworn  to  before  James 
Schroeder,  justice  of  the  peace. 

Elkader  Mill  Fire — On  Thursday,  December  20,  Elkader  suf- 
fered a  severe  loss  when  the  mill,  which  was  the  center  of  all  its 
industry,  was  destroyed  by  fire.  The  Journal  gives  the  following 
account :  "On  Thursday  night  last  the  large  flouring  and  grist  mill  in 
this  place,  owned  by  Messrs.  Thompson  &  Davis,  took  fire  and  burned 
to  the  ground.  There  were  from  8  to  10,000  bushels  of  wheat  in 
the  mill  at  the  time,  which  were  also  consumed  by  the  fire.  The  fire 
was  discovered  at  about  i  o'clock  at  night,  when  the  flames  were  seen 
bursting  from  out  the  third-story  windows,  on  the  east  side  of  the 
building.  It  did  not  take  long  to  arouse  the  citizens,  but  when  they 
reached  the  spot  they  soon  saw  the  utter  impossibility  of  saving  the  mill, 
the  fire  having  enveloped  the  whole  upper  portion  of  it  in  one  sheet  of 
flame.  Notwithstanding  this,  the  doors  of  the  mill  were  broken  open 
and  nearly  two  hundred  barrels  of  flour  saved  before  the  fire  reached 
the  first  story.  There  was  a  strong  breeze  from  the  northwest  when 
the  fire  broke  through  the  roof  of  the  mill,  endangering  the  adjoining 
buildings ;  in  fact,  the  whole  village.  The  wind  blew  sparks  of  fire 
as  large  as  a  walnut,  clear  into  the  lower  part  of  the  town,  setting 
fire  to  haystacks,  etc.,  but  which  were  observed  in  time  and  extin- 
guished. Almost  adjoining  the  mill  is  a  stone  building,  in  which  is 
the  Journal  offlce  and  a  cooper  shop.  This  house  was  expected  to 
take  fire  every  moment,  and,  if  it  had,  it  would  have  been  impossible 
to  save  it,  and  the  entire  block  would  have  been  swept  away.  Our 
office  was  saved  by  tremendous  exertions  on  the  part  of  our  friends. 
Messrs.  Alpheus  Scott  and  A.  F.  Tipton  were  on  the  roof  of  the 
building  when  the  heat  from  the  fire  was  so  intense  that,  to  keep 
from  burning  to  death  they  had  to  pour  water  on  each  other,  while 
on  the  porch  on  the  second  story  Messrs.  H.  B.  Carter  and  Delos  Mills 
were  stationed,  enduring  equal  hardships  and  working  as  heroically  as 
men  could  to  save  the  building.  They  have  placed  us  under  ever- 
lasting obligations.  After  the  flour  was  taken  out  the  fire  enveloped 
the  entire  building,  when  the  citizens  on  the  east  side  of  the  river 
hastened  home  to  protect  their  own  homes  from  the  havoc  which  the 
sea  of  fire  that  covered  the  sky  was  threatening.  On  most  every 
housetop  could  be  seen  some  person  sprinkling  water  on  the  shingles 
to  keep  them  from  burning.  The  Davis  house,  which  adjoins  the  Jour- 
nal office,  took  fire  several  times  from  the  sparks  that  flew  onto  it  and 
which  were  fanned  by  the  wind.  It  was  fortunate  that  the  fire  did  not 
spread  further,  though  this  loss,  as  it  is,  is  heavy  enough.  According 
to  Mr.  Thompson's  estimate,  $35,000  or  $40,000  will  scarce  cover  the 
damages.     And  not  only  will  Thompson  and  Davis  suffer  from  this 


ANTE-BELLUM    DAYS 186O-1861 DOMESTIC    AFFAIRS  I35 

loss,  but  the  whole  village  will  feel  it  heavily.  Right  in  town,  a  num- 
ber of  persons  were  thrown  out  of  employment,  while  in  the  country, 
the  farmers,  who  hitherto  depended  upon  the  mill  for  their  market, 
will  be  compelled  to  go  elsewhere  and  farther  off.  The  loss  is  felt  by 
all.  The  origin  of  the  fire  is  something  that  no  one  has  as  yet  been 
able  to  tell.  There  are  rumors  that  it  was  set  on  fire,  but  whether 
it  is  true  we  are  unable  to  decide.  There  was  no  insurance.  Mr.  Davis 
declares  that  before  next  harvest  time  another  mill  will  be  in  running 
order." 

It  was  during  i860  that  it  was  seriously  proposed  to  run  a  horse 
railroad  through  the  Turkey  Valley  to  Dubuque,  and  Richard  T.  Mor- 
gan went  into  details,  giving  cost  of  construction  and  operation  and 
probable  receipts.  Nothing  came  of  this  project,  however,  but  it  was 
agitated  from  time  to  time. 

Board  of  Supervisors — In  1861  the  new  law  went  into  effect  by 
which  the  county  judge  was  superseded  by  a  board  of  supervisors. 
John  Garber  was  the  last  county  judge.  The  new  board  met  January  7, 
1 86 1.  They  were  elected  one  from  each  precinct,  and  they  were 
among  the  most  prominent  men  in  the  county. 

Frank  Smith  was  elected  president  pro  tem,  and  Robert  Grant 
secretary.  The  first  business  was  the  election  of  a  chairman.  D.  W. 
Chase  defeating  O.  W.  Crary  for  his  position  by  a  vote  of  11  to  10. 
The  board  then  drew  lots  for  one  and  two  year  terms.  Those  drawing 
one  year  were  O.  W.  Crary,  Farmersburg;  Martin  Garber,  Volga ;  L.  R. 
Gilbert,  Read ;  Philip  Hunter,  Millville ;  Buel  Knapp,  Boardman ;  E. 
Monlux,  Wagner;  G.  S.  Peck,  Cox  Creek;  P.  G.  Bailey,  Grand 
Meadow ;  W.  G.  Stoddard,  Buena  Vista ;  E.  Wood,  Jefferson ;  D.  W. 
Chase,  Lodomillo.  Those  drawing  two  years  were :  S.  G.  Chase,  Cass ; 
D.  Daugherty,  Giard ;  R.  B.  Flenniken,  Mallory ;  R.  Grant,  Mendon ; 
Daniel  Lowe,  Highland ;  P.  M.  Lown,  Marion ;  A.  C.  Mohrman,  Gar- 
navillo;  P.  P.  Olmstead,  Monona;  G.  W.  Porter,  Elk;  Frank  Smith, 
Clayton,  and  A.  Bevens,  Sperry. 

The  county  judge  submitted  his  final  report,  and  turned  the  affairs 
of  the  county  over  to  the  new  board.  The  most  important  action  of 
the  first  session  was  the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  receive  bids 
for  building  a  bridge  at  Elkader.  Aid  was  also  voted  for  other  bridges. 
This  board  also  took  up  the  matter  of  renting  rooms  for  the  county 
officers  and  the  purchase  of  furniture  for  the  courtroom.  The  financial 
report  showed  the  county  to  be  in  good  condition.  The  expenses  for 
the  six  months  preceding  amounted  to  $6,520.65,  the  liabilities  were 
$3,986.03,  and  the  net  assets,  above  liabilities,  were  given  as  $25,072.03. 

In  February  the  contract  for  the  Elkader  bridge  was  let  to  Milo 
Adams. 

One  of  the  first  questions  confronting  the  board  was  to  make 
suitable  provision  to  house  the  county  officers,  and  arrangements  were 
made  with  Bud  Knapp  to  rent  the  brick  building  then  occupied  for 
$15  per  month.  In  June  it  was  agreed  to  rent  the  Stone  Hall  for  $75 
per  year,  for  use  only  for  the  court  and  when  the  board  was  in  session. 
Joseph  Ross  was  appointed  "fireman,"  with  instructions  to  light  the 
room  and  attend,  generally,  upon  the  board.  In  November,  Reuben 
Noble  and  other  members  of  the  bar  petitioned   that   a   railing  be 


136  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

placed  around  the  desk  and  bar  in  the  courtroom  and  that  "the  aisles 
of  said  room  be  provided  with  straw  mattresses  and  cozy  and  com- 
fortable seats  for  the  jury."  The  board  granted  this  humble  petition, 
but  limited  the  cost  to  $25.  In  1862  a  special  committee  reported  that 
the  poorhouse  as  then  conducted  was  expensive  and  in  bad  condition, 
and  the  board  ordered  it  closed,  the  property  leased  and  the  goods 
sold.  Later  it  was  found  that  the  township  system  of  caring  for 
paupers  was  still  more  expensive  and,  in  June,  1864,  it  was  proposed 
to  appropriate  $2,000  for  a  poor  farm,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  make  the  purchase.  In  October  this  first  committee  was  excused 
and  S.  R.  Gilbert  was  appointed.  In  January,  1865,  Mr.  Gilbert  reported 
the  purchase  of  sixty  acres  of  land  in  Read  township  for  $1,500,  and 
the  partial  agreement  to  buy  forty  acres  of  timber  land  in  addition. 
This  purchase  was  approved  and  $2,000  voted  for  poor  farm  buildings. 
Later  the  forty  acres  of  timber  were  bought  for  $480  and,  in  January, 
1866,  an  additional  $2,000  was  voted  for  buildings.  August  Millen- 
hausen,  of  Guttenberg,  was  the  first  steward  appointed. 

The  County  Jail — The  difficulties  encountered  in  relation  to  the 
Elkader  bridge  have  already  been  recounted.  Another  matter  which 
required  the  attention  of  the  board  was  that  of  the  county  jail. 
Although  the  courts  sat  in  Elkader,  the  jail  was  still  located  at  Garna- 
villo,  and  it  was  insanitary  and  unfit  in  every  way.  This  condition 
was  recognized  at  the  June  session,  1862,  when  the  board  proposed  an 
appropriation  of  $2,000  for  a  jail  at  Elkader,  providing  the  city  would 
contribute  an  equal  amount  in  cash  or  its  equivalent  and  provide  a  site. 
Elkader  was  not  sure  of  the  county  seat,  and  did  not  respond  to  this 
invitation,  and  repairs  were  made  on  the  Garnavillo  jail  and  a  tem- 
porary jail  ordered  at  Elkader.  In  1864  the  proposal  to  vote  a  tax 
for  building  a  jail  was  submitted  to  the  people  and  defeated.  A  like 
proposition,  in  1865,  met  with  a  like  fate ;  however,  two  sets  of  balls 
and  chains  were  provided  for  the  sheriff  and  handcuffs  were  purchased 
for  every  township  in  the  county.  In  June,  1868,  the  grand  jury 
reported  that  the  jail  was  "a  shame  and  a  disgrace."  Acting  upon  this 
report  the  board  again  submitted  the  question  of  erecting  a  $15,000 
jail,  and  this  was  carried.  Following  the  election,  E.  H.  Williams, 
John  Garber  and  James  Davis  were  appointed  to  secure  a  site.  They 
reported  in  favor  of  the  purchase  of  seventeen  acres  from  L.  A. 
Beardsley's  addition  to  East  Elkader,  for  the  sum  of  $1,700,  and  this 
report  was  accepted.  James  Davis,  John  Garber  and  D.  W.  Chase 
were  appointed  as  the  building  committee,  work  was  commenced  at 
once,  and  by  the  close  of  1869  the  foundations  were  completed.  E.  W. 
H.  Jacobs  was  the  architect,  and  he,  with  James  Davis,  made  an  eastern 
trip  to  obtain  ideas  on  construction.  The  work  was  pushed  rapidly 
in  1870,  with  J.  A.  Hysham  as  superintendent  of  workmen  and  J.  H. 
Sandusky  as  head  mason.  The  jail  was  constructed  without  letting 
a  contract  except  for  the  steel  work,  and  it  stands  as  a  monument 
to  the  honesty  and  good  workmanship  of  the  builders.  The  total  cost 
of  the  jail,  including  site,  was  $24,679.58.  Under  the  war  history  has 
been  given  a  statement  of  the  various  acts  of  the  supervisors  relative 
to  bounties  and  the  relief  of  soldiers. 

Court  House — In  1862,  steps  were  taken  looking  toward  the  erec- 


ANTE-BELLUM    DAYS — 1860-1861 — DOMESTIC   AFFAIRS  I37 

tion  of  a  permanent  court  house  at  Elkader.     In  June,  it  was  voted  to 
appropriate  $2,000  for  a  building  for  the  county  officers,  providing 
Elkader  donated  eight  lots  and  $1,000  in  cash,  $2,000  was  also  voted  for 
a  court  room,  providing  Elkader  gave  $1,000.    Nothing  came  of  it  at  the 
time,  however,  and  the  county  continued  to  rent  the  Stone  Hall.     In 
June,  1863,  a  resolution  was  offered  to  rescind  these  appropriations  but 
the  motion  was  lost.     Again  in  1865,  a  motion  to  buy  Stone  Hall  as  the 
court  was  tabled  and,  instead,  a  proposition  for  a  tax  for  a  court  house 
was  submitted.     This  was  defeated  by  nearly  600  majority  and,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1866,  urged  by  Elkader  people,  and  by  the  very  evident  necessity 
for  some  permanent  county  home,  the  board  took  the  bull  by  the  horns 
and  took  the  first  step  toward  the  erection  of  a  court  house  by  appro- 
priating $2,000  for  a  treasurer's  office,  providing  the  citizens  of  Elkader 
gave  a  suitable  site.     Two  thousand  dollars  additional  was  voted  to 
build  a  vault  for  the  safe-keeping  of  the  funds  and  records.    The  vote 
on  this  resolution,  stood  13  to  6.     According  to  law,  $2,000  was  the 
limit  of  the  appropriations  which  the  board  might  make  without  a  vote 
of  the  people  and  these  piecemeal  appropriations  were  undoubtedly 
made  for  the  purpose  of  circumventing  the  law.     However,  it  would 
seem,  in  this  instance,  that  the  end  justified  the  means,  and  no  one 
today  regrets  the  action  of  the  board.     Again,  in  June,  1866,  $3,000 
was  appropriated  to  build  a  recorder's  and  treasurer's  office,  providing 
a  site  was  given.   In  September,  the  old  court  house  at  Garnavillo  was  sold 
at  auction  for  $3,000  and  at  the  same  session  it  was  moved  that  the  appro- 
priation voted  in  June  be  rescinded  and  that  the  site  offered  by  Elkader 
was  not  satisfactory.     The  motion  to  rescind  appropriations  was  lost 
by  a  vote  of  9  to  7,  and  that  rejecting  the  site  was  lost  on  a  tie  vote,  the 
chairman  voting  in  favor  of  accepting  the  site.     In  1867,  an  election 
was  held  on  the  county  seat  question  and  Elkader  defeated  Garnavillo 
by  more  than  700  and,  following  the  canvass  of  the  vote,  the  board 
appropriated  $2,000  to  finish  the  clerk  and  treasurer's  office.     In  the 
summer  of  1867,  the  site  having  been  accepted,  the  actual  work  of  con- 
struction was  commenced.     The  work  was  well  done  and  this  is  a  part 
of  the  court  house  as  it  stands  today. 

Supervision  System  Changed — The  board  had  much  to  do  with 
the  sale  of  school  lands  and  the  so  called  swamp  lands  and,  while  today, 
it  seems  a  pity  that  these  were  sold  at  prices  ranging  from  $1.25  to 
$4.00  per  acre,  they  did  no  differently  than  was  done  by  the  govern- 
ment and  the  state  and  other  counties.  This  method  of  county  govern- 
ment by  the  board  of  supervisors,  one  man  from  each  township,  was 
cumbersome  and  expensive  and  it  was  not  regretted  when,  in  1870, 
the  law  was  changed  and  the  board  reduced  to  three  members. 


CHAPTER  VI 


WAR  HISTORY— 1861-1865— EVENTS  AT  HOME 

CALL    TO   ARMS — RESPONSE — GATHERING    OF    CLAN    MCGREGOR OFF    FOR 

THE  FRONT — RELIEF  PROVISIONS — RANGERS  GO  TO  WAR — FIRST  KILLED 

DAY    OF    PRAYER — DARK    DAYS    OF     1 862 — VOLUNTEERS — CENOTAPH 

SOCIETY — MORE    ENLISTMENTS DAYS    OF    '63 PEACE    PARTY — SANI- 
TARY SOCIETY — W^AR  TIDE  TURNS — IN   THE   SHADOW  OF  THE   DRAFT 

ELECTION     OF     1 864 — SANITARY     FAIR — DARKEST     HOUR — ^DRAFTING 

SUPPLEMENTARY    DRAFT DEATH    OF    LINCOLN — HOMECOMING. 

AS  THE  days  passed  between  the  election  of  Abraham  Lincoln 
and  his  inauguration,  it  became  more  and  more  apparent  that  the 
south  was  to  secede.  Every  river  packet,  bringing  the  eagerly 
sought  newspapers  from  the  outside  world,  carried  the  news  of  fresh 
acts  of  aggression.  A  confederacy  was  formed;  South  Carolina  passed 
acts  of  secession;  the  southern  press  breathed  defiance  and  rebellion, 
and  this  defiance  was  hurled  back  by  the  newspapers  of  the  north. 
There  were  great  debates  in  Congress ;  men  of  the  north  and  of  the 
south  came  near  to  blows,  while  others  temporised,  hoping  against 
hope,  that  some  peaceful  solution  might  be  found.  Men  hung  upon 
the  words  of  Lincoln;  every  step  of  his  journey  from  Illinois  to  Wash- 
ington was  followed  with  breathless  interest ;  every  word  that  he 
uttered  was  weighed  by  an  anxious  and  excited  people. 

It  is  a  mistaken  idea  to  believe  that  the  abolition  of  slavery  was  the 
moving  factor  in  the  minds  of  northern  men.  This  was  not  the  case. 
In  his  inaugural  address  Lincoln  declared,  "I  have  no  purpose,  directly 
or  indirectly,  to  interfere  with  the  institution  of  slavery  in  the  states 
where  it  exists.  I  believe  that  I  have  no  lawful  right  to  do  so,  and  I 
have  no  inclination  to  do  so."  There  was  a  firm  conviction  in  the 
hearts  of  many  that  slavery  was  wrong  and  that  it  should  not  be 
extended  into  free  territory.  There  was,  however,  strong  race  preju- 
dice, and  it  was  only  the  abolition  "cranks"  who  championed  equal 
civic  rights  for  men,  regardless  of  race  or  color.  This  is  evident  from 
the  fact  that,  but  a  short  time  previous,  the  people  of  Iowa  refused  to 
strike  the  word  "white"  from  their  constitution.  Nevertheless,  the 
conviction  grew  and  solidified,  throughout  the  north,  that  the  Union 
must  and  should  be  preserved.  Earnestly,  quietly  and  grimly  men 
were  facing  the  problem,  counting  the  cost,  and  determining,  if  need  be. 


140  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  die  for  their  country.  Events  moved  swiftly  in  1861.  Lincoln's 
eastern  journey  grew  to  be  a  triumphal  progress.  Back  of  the  cheers 
of  northern  enthusiasts  was  the  sullen  roar  of  southern  threats,  as  the 
sound  of  distant  cannon.  There  were  the  repeated  acts  of  secession, 
the  hurrying  of  government  munitions  to  the  south,  the  threats  that 
Lincoln  should  never  reach  Washington  alive.  Then  came  the  great 
inaugural  address,  received  with  enthusiasm  throughout  the  north  and 
with  suspicion  and  hatred  throughout  the  south.  Then  came  acts  of 
armed  rebellion.  The  seizure  of  forts  and  arsenals,  the  firing  upon 
Fort  Sumpter,  and  then  the  call  of  Father  Abraham  for  75,000  men. 

These  events  following  in  quick  succession,  stirred  the  north  to  its 
very  center.  In  Clayton  county  men  thought  or  talked  of  but  little 
else.  Union  meetings  were  held,  fervid  orators  held  forth,  party  lines 
broke  down  and  when  the  call  came,  Clayton  county  was  ready.  All 
the  years  of  freedom  spent  in  the  open,  in  the  woods  and  on  the  prairie 
had  hardened  their  frames  and  strengthened  their  love  of  liberty.  All 
the  blood  of  their  forebears,  whether  from  that  sturdy  New  England 
stock  which  had  twice  defeated  Britain,  or  whether  from  the  liberty 
loving  peoples  who  preferred  to  face  the  hardships  of  a  new  world, 
rather  than  to  abide  the  tyrannies  of  the  old;  all  the  years  of  independ- 
ence and  self-government  had  given  them  a  patriotism  and  a  prepared- 
ness the  equal  of  which  has  not  been  seen  in  the  world  before  nor  since. 
They  were  fit  physically  for  any  hardship  which  war  might  impose 
and  they  were  burning  with  patriotic  zeal.  It  is  here  that  the  south 
made  its  gravest  mistake.  It  did  not  know  the  men  of  Clayton  county 
and  of  the  hundreds  of  like  counties  throughout  the  north.  Because 
they  were  remote,  because  they  were  for  the  most  part  silent,  the  chiv- 
alry of  the  south  totally  underestimated  the  strength  and  valor  of  these 
northern  warriors. 

The  response  to  Lincoln's  call  was  swift  and  immediate.  It  swept 
like  a  fire  across  the  prairie.  Hardly  was  the  ink  dry  upon  the  message 
of  Governor  Kirkwood  before  the  men  in  Clayton  county  were  in 
action.  "War !  War !  War !  Henceforth  only  two  parties.  Patriots 
and  Traitors !"  thundered  the  Republican  Journal  at  Elkader ;  "To 
Arms !  To  Arms !  Our  much  loved  country  is  in  danger,  the  flag  is 
dishonored  by  those  who  have  heretofore  enjoyed  its  protection.  The 
liberty  of  every  freeman  is  at  stake.  Let  all  those  that  will  stand  by 
the  Union  and  by  the  right,  stand  forth,"  answered  the  Democratic 
Times  at  McGregor.  The  county  became  an  armed  camp  within  a 
day.  There  was  a  meeting  at  Farmersburg,  where  volunteers  enlisted 
and  the  farmers  raised  $1,500  for  the  support  of  the  families  of  the 
volunteers.  F.  Hofer  rushes  from  Littleport  to  have  the  Journal  print 
hand  bills  announcing  the  great  war  meeting.  Under  the  leadership 
of  Capt.  W.  H.  Muzzy  a  delegation  of  young  men,  headed  by  fife  and 
drum,  marches  through  the  cheering  streets  of  the  little  village  of 
Elkader  and  goes  to  Littleport  to  attend  the  meeting.  Dennis  Quigley 
acts  as  chairman,  and  it  is  a  wonderful  comment  upon  the  spirit  of  the 
times  that  the  first  work  of  the  meeting,  before  any  speeches  were  made 
and  before  any  names  were  entered  upon  the  enlistment  roll,  was  to 
spend  several  hours  in  drill.  Then  came  the  speeches  by  S.  R.  Peet, 
Prof.  Kramer,  of  Elkport,  Ben  Smith,  of  Littleport,  and  A.  F.  Tipton, 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS    AT    HOME  I4I 

of  Elkader.  Then  came  the  call  for  volunteers,  by  F.  Hofer,  and  14 
young  men  stepped  forth  and  declared  themselves  ready  to  go  at  an 
hour's  notice,  while  35  others  bespoke  their  willingness  to  go  as  soon  as 
they  could  arrange  their  home  affairs. 

At  Elkader  there  was  a  meeting  at  the  court  house.  H.  B.  Carter 
presided  and  Douglas  Leffingwell,  a  lieutenant  in  the  rapidly  forming 
company  of  Clayton  county  volunteers,  made  a  patriotic  speech  and 
was  followed  by  Mr.  Remick  of  McGregor,  B.  T.  Hunt,  and  James 
Davis.  The  minutes  of  a  meeting  already  held  at  Farmersburg  were 
read  and  everybody  joined  in  singing  "Hail  Columbia,"  ''My  Country," 
and  "The  Star  Spangled  Banner".  Another  meeting  was  held  a  few 
days  later.  D.  D.  Hutchins  told  of  the  progress  of  the  volunteer  com- 
pany at  Farmersburg;  M.  E.  Smith  of  Volga  City  proposed  a  grand 
county  military  festival  at  Elkader  on  the  Fourth.  The  afternoon 
session  was  not  sufficient  and  the  patriots  adjourned  until  evening  and 
before  the  work  of  the  day  was  done,  30  more  Elkader  boys  had  signed 
the  enlistment  roll.  The  river  towns  were  aflame.  At  Guttenberg 
John  Schroeder  took  the  lead  and  the  sturdy  Germans  who  had  fought 
for  liberty  in  1848  shouldered  the  musket  and  declared  their  willing- 
ness to  fight  again.  There  was  no  fear  of  the  hyphenated  American 
in  those  days  and,  with  the  veterans  of  Europe's  wars  in  its  ranks  the 
Guttenberg  company  soon  became  known  as  the  best  drilled  in  north- 
ern Iowa.  From  Strawberry  Point  and  Volga  and  Elport  and  Little- 
port  and  Yankee  Settlement,  from  Clayton  and  Garnavillo  and 
National,  from  Monona  and  Giard  and  Grand  Meadow,  from  every 
hill  and  valley  in  the  county  men  sprang  up  as  though  the  very  soil 
had  been  sown  with  dragon's  teeth. 

Gathering  of  Clan  McGregor — IMcGregor,  as  the  most  important 
shipping  point  in  Iowa,  north  of  Dubuque,  became  the  first  concen- 
tration camp  for  all  northeastern  Iowa.  To  this  place  came  the  boys 
from  Allamakee  and  Decorah  and  Fayette  and  from  all  parts  of  Clayton 
county.  Over  the  long  trails  which  led  to  the  prairies  of  the  back 
country,  instead  of  oxen  with  their  creaking  loads  of  grain,  came 
hurrying  men  on  horse  back  and  on  foot  to  serve  their  country.  The 
city  itself  was  ablaze  with  patriotism.  The  president's  call  was  but 
a  few  days'  old  when  a  meeting  of  citizens  was  called  at  Concert  Hall. 
"McGregors  arouse,"  were  the  words  of  the  Times.  "Let  the  clans 
assemble  at  Concert  Hall  on  Wednesday  evening  and  fill  up  the  ranks 
of  the  proposed  military  organizations  instanter.  Let  every  loch  and 
glen  send  forth  its  chiel  ready  for  the  fray.  It  is  no  time  for  holiday 
work ;  the  company  is  designed  for  business — no  less  than  the  preser- 
vation of  our  government  and  all  the  institutions  so  dear  to  every 
patriotic  heart." 

Before  each  business  place  and  residence  floated  the  Stars  and 
Stripes ;  the  arrival  of  every  boat  was  greeted  by  crowds  eager  for  the 
latest  news  of  war;  the  flag  floating  on  each  river  craft  was  greeted 
with  cheers;  to  Captain  Sherwin  of  the  Packet  ]\IcGregor,  was  given 
the  honor  of  having  unfurled  the  first  national  flag  upon  the  waters  of 
the  Upper  Mississippi  after  the  overt  treason  of  JefT  Davis'  crew; 
within  a  few  hours  the  business  men  of  McGregor  pledged  $600  per 
month  for  the  support  of  the  families  of  volunteers.     The  sound  of 


142  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  drum  and  fife  was  heard  at  every  hour  of  the  day.  A  visitor  at 
McGregor  writing  for  the  Dubuque  Times  says,  "There  were  thou- 
sands of  American  flags  displayed  at  McGregor,  there  was  a  ceaseless 
rataplan  of  snare  drums,  and  an  everlasting  booming  of  the  bass  and 
the  ear  piercing  screech  of  the  fife,  all  the  time  we  sojourned  there.  It 
was  the  last  we  remembered  at  night  and  the  first  to  greet  us  in  the 
morning."  Concert  Hall  was  filled  to  overflowing  at  this  first  Union 
meeting  at  McGregor,  Democrats  and  Republicans  vied  with  each 
other,  party  spirit  was  entirely  ignored.  Mayor  Hobart  presided  and 
speeches  were  made  by  Pass,  Hand,  Baugh,  Drummond,  Stoneman, 
Remick,  Leffingwell,  Felt,  Peck,  Barron,  Updegraff,  Calkins,  Douglas 
and  Hobart.  It  was  resolved :  "That  discarding  all  political  or  parti- 
san consideration  in  this  hour  of  our  country's  danger  we  mutually 
pledge  to  each  other  as  American  citizens  as  a  common  defense  our 
lives,  our  fortunes  and  our  sacred  honors." 

Off  for  the  Front — The  military  company,  under  Capt.  S.  B. 
Sladden,  which  was  to  be  a  part  of  the  splendid  Third  Iowa  Infantry, 
was  quickly  formed  and  the  Captain  returns  from  a  rush  trip  to 
Davenport  with  the  glad  news  that  the  company  will  be  accepted. 
R,  L.  Freeman  organizes  the  first  company  of  cavalry  formed  in 
Iowa,  spends  $200  of  his  money  in  a  futile  attempt  to  have  it  included 
in  the  First  Cavalry  Regiment,  returns  bitterly  disappointed  but  per- 
sists in  his  determination  and  later  leads  his  men  to  war.  In  the 
meantime  the  men  are  gathering  from  all  the  countryside  around. 
Across  the  river,  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  the  men  of  Wisconsin  are  gath- 
ering. There  are  exchange  of  visits,  wild  cheers,  martial  music, 
speeches  that  glowed  and  burned  with  patriotism.  The  narrow  coulee 
is  filled  with  marching  men  and  troops  of  cavalry.  The  uniforms  of 
grey  cloth  are  ordered,  and  the  busy  women,  wives,  mothers,  sweet- 
hearts, work  together  to  make  uniforms  for  their  boys.  Every  sewing 
machine  in  the  town  is  forced  into  service.  By  dollar  subscriptions 
the  bunting  is  bought,  at  a  cost  of  $50,  to  make  the  great  flag,  army 
regulation  size,  to  fly  at  the  flag  pole  and  go  with  the  company.  With 
proud  but  trembling  fingers  the  women  sew  the  silken  folds  of  the  ban- 
ner which  was  to  lead  the  men  at  Shiloh  and  at  Vicksburg.  Miss 
Francis  Boynton  made  the  presentation  address  and  Lieut.  Leffingwell 
responded  on  behalf  of  the  volunteers.  The  boats  are  moored  out  in 
the  river  and  here  the  soldiers  sleep  at  night,  drilling  by  day  and  await- 
ing anxiously  the  word  to  go  to  the  front.  The  companies  from  West 
Union  and  Decorah  arrive  and  with  them  come  a  great  consort  of 
fathers  and  mothers  and  wives  and  children  and  sweethearts.  The 
word  comes  to  move  to  the  front.  It  is  a  busy  day  at  McGregor,  the 
soldiers  are  hurried  with  final  preparations,  bands  are  playing;  flags 
flying,  crowds  cheering  and,  through  it  all,  there  is  the  undertone  of 
sadness,  of  stifled  sobs  and  silent  tears.  The  companies  from  West 
Union  and  Decorah  fall  into  line  and  march  up  the  narrow  valley 
escorting  their  loved  ones  as  they  start  to  return  to  saddened,  emptied 
homes;  and  there,  at  the  top  of  the  coulee,  where  woods  and  prairie 
meet,  are  said  the  parting  words,  which  in  too  many  cases  were  last 
farewells.  And  then  the  boats  are  filled  with  the  departing  volunteers, 
the  decks  are  thronged  with  eager  faces ;  crowds,  some  silent,  some 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS    AT    HOME  I43 

cheering,  line  the  shores.  The  crash  of  music  drowns  the  sound  of 
sobs.  The  whistle  blows,  the  steamship  Canada  backs  slowly  from  the 
shore,  the  sound  of  the  cheers  grows  fainter  and  is  stilled  by  distance ; 
waving  handkerchiefs  and  flags  must  take  the  place  of  loving  words ; 
and  then,  the  boat  is  hidden  around  the  bend  of  the  river  and  the  boys 
are  gone;  gone,  many  of  them,  out  of  the  lives  of  Clayton  county,  for- 
ever. These  scenes  were  repeated,  not  only  at  McGregor,  but  at  every 
town  and  hamlet  in  the  county,  many  times  as  the  war  progressed ;  call 
after  call  came  from  the  president,  for  men  and  ever  more  men,  and 
to  every  call  old  Clayton  county  responded,  until  at  home  there 
remained  few  but  the  women  and  the  children,  the  old  and  the  dis- 
abled. They  responded  to  the  call  in  the  first  rush  of  wild  excitement, 
and  they  responded  in  the  dark  days  when  the  defeat  at  Bull  Run  and 
the  delays  and  blunders  of  incompetent  generals  cast  gloom  and  terror 
throughout  the  nation ;  they  responded  after  they  had  seen  the  boys 
return  wounded,  crippled  and  broken  by  disease  and  hardship;  they 
responded  after  they  had  read  the  long  roll  of  the  dead  and  after  the 
deep  sorrow  of  eternal  parting  had  entered  an  hundred  homes. 

Included  with  this  chapter  are  the  names  of  those  who  enlisted 
from  Clayton  county  in  the  war  for  Union  and  to  this  list  is  added  the 
roll  of  honor  of  195  men,  who  died  upon  the  field  of  battle,  in  the 
hospital  or  rebel  prison  pen.  In  this  history  there  have  been  recorded 
the  names  of  many  who  took  prominent  part  in  the  political  and  com- 
mercial activities  of  the  county,  until  these  names  have  become  fairly 
familiar.  But,  in  reading  the  list  of  the  volunteers,  there  appear  hun- 
dreds of  names  which  have  not  before  been  mentioned.  This  means  that 
it  was  not  the  leaders  alone,  not  the  prominent  men  only,  but  that  men, 
who  had  been  content  with  the  modest  part  of  the  ordinary  citizen  and 
voter,  came,  from  every  rank  and  every  occupation,  to  take  their  place 
in  the  Union  ranks.  The  vast  majority  of  them  were  young  men, 
sons  of  the  men  who  had  made  the  county  great.  Many  of  them,  in 
after  years,  took  active  part  in  the  affairs  of  their  county  and  their 
state,  but  at  this  time,  they  were  new  and  untried,  but  filled  with  a 
patriotism  which  must  forever  emblazon  their  names  upon  Clayton 
county's  roll  of  honor. 

Relief  Provisions — The  board  of  supervisors  as  the  governing 
body  of  the  county  took  early  and  repeated  action  to  support  the  fami- 
lies of  the  volunteers  and  to  encourage  enlistment.  On  June  4,  1861, 
the  board  voted  that  for  each  company  of  100  men,  $13  be  paid  for 
each  man,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  uniforms.  Two  days  later,  the 
board  voted  $1  a  week  for  the  wife  and  50  cents  a  week  for  each  child 
of  a  volunteer  where  support  was  needed.  This  order  was  extended 
and  enlarged,  from  time  to  time,  and,  by  June,  1862,  $3,794  had  been 
spent  for  the  relief  of  the  families  of  volunteers.  By  its  famous 
"order  No.  316"  this  aid  was  extended  by  unanimous  vote,  to  "the 
widows  and  children  of  those  who  have  died  or  may  die  in  the  service 
of  the  country."  In  August,  the  board  voted  $60  for  each  volunteer 
who  should  enlist  under  the  call  of  the  president  for  300,000  men  and 
this  order  was,  later,  made  to  include  all  who  enlisted  between  July  i 
and  Sept.  i,  1862.  A  year  later,  the  board  widened  the  scope  of  its 
relief  to  include  the  families  of  volunteers,  although  they  might  tem- 


144  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

porarily  reside  in  other  counties.  In  1864  this  reHef  was  again 
extended,  to  include  the  famiHes  of  all,  except  those  of  commissioned 
officers,  who  were  accepted  in  the  regular  or  volunteer  service,  if 
accredited  to  Clayton  county,  without  regard  to  their  place  of  residence 
at  the  time  of  enlistment.  Throughout  the  entire  war  the  policy  of  the 
county  government,  although  not  extravagant,  was  just  and  liberal  and 
patriotic  and  the  people  bore  this  added  taxation,  which  was  heaped  on 
top  of  increased  state  taxes  and  heavy  stamp  and  internal  revenue 
taxes,  not  only  without  complaining,  but  with  cheerful  generosity,  and 
with  urgings,  not  to  do  less,  but  to  do  more.  The  period  of  these  war 
expenditures  on  the  part  of  the  county  covered  eight  years.  The 
highest  amount  paid  for  bounties  was  $30,875.00  paid  in  1862,  and  for 
relief  of  soldiers'  families,  the  highest  amount  in  any  one  year  was  in 
1864  when  $33,849.09  was  spent.  The  total  paid  for  bounties  by  the 
county  government  was  $43,229.89  and  for  relief  $106,098.52.  To 
this  must  be  added  the  large  amount  given  by  private  subscription,  not 
only  during  the  first  outburst  of  enthusiasm  at  the  beginning  of  the 
war  but  throughout  the  war  for  the  purpose  of  encouraging  enlistment. 
This  amounted  to  fully  as  much  as  was  paid  by  the  county,  and  to  this 
again,  must  be  added  the  large  amount  which  the  women  of  the  county 
raised  in  cash  and  supplies  for  the  relief  of  the  wounded  soldiers  at 
the  front.     In  every  way  Clayton  county  did  its  duty. 

Rangers  Go  to  War — It  was  not  long  until  the  Rangers,  the  cav- 
alry troop  organized  by  Capt.  Freeman  was  ordered  to  the  front  and 
the  following  graphic  description  of  their  leave  taking  is  taken  from 
the  Times:  "On  Thursday  evening  of  last  week,  the  Canada — the  same 
boat  which  carried  off  the  Clayton  county  boys — came  down  to  our 
levee  and  expressed  her  willingness  to  take  the  Rangers  on  board. 
Then  there  was  a  hurrying  to  and  fro,  mounting  in  hot  haste,  gathering 
up  of  personal  traps,  exchanging  farewells,  and  an  embarkation.  One 
by  one  the  brave  fellows  came  down  through  the  gathering  crowds, 
and  attended  their  horses  on  board.  Capt.  Freeman  was  in  his  ele- 
ment— cheerful,  vivacious,  omnipresent;  his  pet  Rangers,  after  much 
embarrassment  and  delay,  were  now  to  make  a  start  for  the  war.  A 
shrill  blast  from  the  brass  piece  above  the  texas,  soon  announced  that 
it  was  nearly  time  to  be  ofif.  By  common  consent  the  boys  scrambled 
off  to  exchange  farewells ;  Capt.  Freeman  spent  a  moment  in  the  sad 
yet  pleasant  leave  taking  of  his  interesting  family.  It  was  an  impres- 
sive moment  and  a  trial  for  brave  hearts ;  no  tears  were  shed ;  indeed, 
there  seemed  to  be  a  Spartan  cheerfulness  in  the  sacrifice  which  Mrs. 
Freeman  made  for  her  country.  When  they  had  all  got  on  board  a 
few  appropriate  words  of  farewell  were  addressed  them  by  Mr. 
Hammer  and  Mr.  Noble — the  big  brass  whistle  shrieked  its  impatience 
— the  bell  was  tapped  again — the  ponderous  wheels  commenced  their 
revolution — and  the  boys  were  off,  amid  the  cheers  of  the  great  crowd 
which  lined  the  levee.  In  the  silence  which  ensued  as  the  boat  swung 
down  the  stream,  occasionally  would  be  heard  the  last  sentiment  of 
some  brave  heart  in  a  loud  "Farewell,  McGregor!"  Of  the  95  men  in 
this  company  of  Rangers,  but  3  were  more  than  40  years  of  age,  12 
were  in  their  30's,  6y  between  20  and  30,  and  13  were  still  in  their 
'teens. 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS   AT    HOME  I45 

First  Soldier  Killed — The  first  death  of  one  of  the  Clayton  county 
volunteers  was  that  of  Hervey  Dix,  of  Monona,  a  corporal  in  the 
Third  Iowa  Infantry.  The  report  from  the  front  was  as  follows: 
"He  was  out  on  a  scout  with  five  men.  While  taking  dinner  in  a 
secession  farm  house,  they  were  surrounded  by  rebels,  i8  in  number, 
who  demanded  a  surrender.  Dix  replied,  T  never  surrender.'  Upon 
this  the  firing  commenced.  Dix  rushed  from  the  house  and  shot  down 
two  of  them,  wounding  two  or  three  of  them  with  his  revolver,  when 
he  was  shot  from  behind  by  a  concealed  rebel.  The  ball  passed  through 
his  head,  killing  him  instantly.  The  remainder  of  the  Union  detach- 
ment escaped.  They  killed  six  rebels  in  the  yard,  while  the  seventh 
lay  mortally  wounded,  perforated  with  eight  bullets.  Lieut.  Crawford 
saw  the  wounded  rebel  who  said,  just  before  his  death,  'Corporal  Dix 
is  the  bravest  man  I  ever  saw.  If  the  North  has  many  such  we  had 
better  give  up.'"  The  death  of  Dix  cast  a  gloom  over  the  whole  com- 
pany, and  the  news,  when  received  in  Clayton  county,  brought  home 
to  the  people  the  grim  realities  of  war. 

Day  of  Prayer — The  last  day  of  September,  1861,  was  set  apart 
as  a  day  of  fasting  and  of  prayer  by  a  proclamation  of  the  president, 
Louis  Benton,  Jr.,  acting  mayor  of  McGregor,  also  issued  a  proclama- 
tion, and  it  may  well  be  believed  that  it  was  observed  by  the  people  of 
Clayton  county  with  solemn  hearts.  As  early  as  October,  the  wounded 
began  coming  back  from  the  front,  but  the  enlistments  were  not 
checked  by  knowledge  of  fatalities.  The  Northwestern  Rifles  was  the 
name  of  another  company  organized  in  the  county,  and  Capt.  Charles 
H.  Lewis,  of  the  Sixteenth  U.  S.  Regular  Infantry,  made  McGregor 
headquarters  and  recruited  122  men  from  Clayton  and  surrounding 
counties.  Col.  Eiboeck,  editor  of  the  Elkader  Journal,  laid  down 
his  pen  and  enlisted  as  a  private  in  the  company  of  Alvah  Bevins,  fol- 
lowing the  footsteps  of  William  H.  Muzzy,  of  the  same  paper,  who 
was  already  at  the  front  with  the  Rangers.  During  their  absence  the 
paper  was  edited  by  A.  C.  Rogers.  The  company,  under  Capt.  Bevins, 
was  known  as  the  Volga  Rifles.  There  were  2y  men  from  Sperry 
township,  who  were  joined  at  Elkader  by  32  men  from  Guttenberg  and 
together  they  marched  to  McGregor  and  joined  the  regiment  com- 
manded by  William  Vandever,  the  Congressman  from  this  district. 

Woman's  Part — In  November,  1861,  the  first  appeal  was  made 
to  the  women  of  Clayton  county  to  organize  a  society  to  relieve  the 
sick  and  wounded  soldiers.  A  meeting  was  called  at  the  Davis  house 
in  Elkader,  November  22,  and  a  large  number  of  ladies  were  present. 
This  was  called  the  Sanitary  Society  and  their  activities  throughout 
the  war  form  a  chapter  of  history  which  should  not  be  neglected.  The 
officers  of  this  society  were  Mrs.  S.  Ellsworth,  president ;  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Patch,  vice-president ;  Mrs.  H.  S.  Granger,  secretary ;  Mrs.  V.  Boiler, 
treasurer ;  Mrs.  L.  G.  Davis,  depositary.  The  committee  to  solicit 
donations  was  Mrs.  V.  Boiler,  Mrs.  L.  V.  Davis,  Mrs.  S.  Ellsworth, 
Miss  Mary  C.  Fuller,  Mrs.  B.  Knapp,  Miss  Mary  L.  Muzzy,  Miss  Mal- 
vina  Stewart  and  Mrs.  Milo  Adams,  and  they  at  once  proceeded  with 
the  good  work,  and  within  a  week  they  were  able  to  report  having 
raised  over  $40  in  cash  and  supplies  donated  as  follows:  Mrs.  Buel 
Knapp,  3  yards  ticking;  Mrs.  V.  Boiler,  4  pillows;  Mrs.  L.  V.  Davis, 


146  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

6  pillows,  2  towels,  6  pillow  cases ;  Mrs.  Oglesbee,  i  quilt ;  Mrs.  P.  M, 
Potter,  I  dressing  gown.  On  December  2,  a  branch  was  formed  at 
Volga  City  with  the  following  officers :  President,  Mrs.  L.  Chapman ; 
vice-president,  Mrs.  L.  H.  Drake;  secretary.  Miss  Abbey  White; 
treasurer,  Mrs.  J.  Chapman;  depositary,  Mrs.  R.  Norton;  soliciting 
committee,  Mrs.  S.  Crane,  Mrs.  S.  Bush,  Mrs.  F.  Cummings,  Mrs.  J. 
Chapman,  Mrs.  L.  Chapman  and  Miss  Abbey  White. 

By  the  middle  of  December  the  ladies  of  McGregor  organized  for 
Union  Sociables,  having  same  end  in  view.  The  officers  of  this  society 
were:  President,  Mrs.  Hibbard;  vice-president,  Mrs.  Flanders;  sec- 
retary. Miss  Updegraff ;  treasurer,  Miss  H.  Hammond ;  collector,  Mrs. 
Tenney. 

Mrs.  Ellsworth  and  Laura  Stewart  were  active  in  the  work  at 
Elkader  and  there  is  hardly  an  issue  of  the  Elkader  paper  which  does 
not  contain  some  account  of  their  proceedings.  At  first,  direct  dona- 
tions were  relied  on,  but  later  a  series  of  programs  were  given.  The 
first  of  these  was  given  at  the  Stone  Hall  in  March,  1862.  This  was 
a  lengthy  program  of  music,  readings  and  tableaux.  The  receipts  were 
$24  and  Mr.  Potter  gave  $1  premium  for  the  silver  change.  People 
were  in  attendance  from  all  over  the  county.  Mrs.  Dr.  Blanchard  was 
elected  president  and  Mrs.  L.  Stewart,  secretary,  Mrs.  Stewart  being 
one  of  the  guiding  spirits  of  the  society  throughout  the  war.  The 
Clayton  society  was  organized  December  12,  1861,  and  the  officers 
were  Mrs.  Mary  E.  Forsythe,  president;  Mrs.  F.  Monger,  vice-presi- 
dent ;  Mrs.  E.  M.  Jerome,  treasurer  and  secretary. 

Dark  Days — In  March  came  news  of  the  wounding  of  A.  J.  Price, 
son  of  Eliphalet  Price,  and  but  a  few  days  later  the  announcement  of 
the  death  of  Capt.  A.  W.  Drips,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Pea 
Ridge,  while  gallantly  leading  his  brave  men  in  one  of  the  most  ter- 
rible and  sanguinary  fights  of  the  war.  Capt.  Drips  was  the  former 
editor  of  the  Clayton  County  Herald,  moving  from  this  county  to 
Maquoqueta,  where  he  established  the  Excelsior,  a  newspaper  which 
is  in  existence  today.  Capt.  Drips  was  dearly  beloved  in  this  county 
and  his  death  was  greatly  mourned.  It  was  at  Pea  Ridge,  also,  that 
Capt.  Alvah  Bevins  gave  up  his  life  for  his  country,  and  of  him  the 
McGregor  Times  says :  "We  have  not  yet  learned  the  details  of  his 
death,  but  only  know  that  he  fell  in  action  at  the  head  of  his  men 
while  dashing  upon  the  enemy.  The  event  has  cast  a  gloom  over  the 
whole  county,  for  Capt.  Bevins  was  universally  known,  loved  and 
respected.  He  was  no  holiday  soldier,  seizing  a  commission  for  the 
honors  and  emoluments  thereof ;  he  drew  his  sword  because  his  flag 
was  menaced — because  an  armed  rebellion  threatened  the  division  of 
the  glorious  old  Union  of  which  he  was  so  proud.  He  has  fallen, 
but  standing  around  his  ashes,  the  loyal  men  of  old  Clayton  will 
demand  that  indemnity  be  made  for  the  loss  of  the  noble  men  who 
have  been  slaughtered  by  traitors  to  the  government."  The  battle  of 
Shiloh  claimed  a  fearful  toll  from  the  boys  of  Clayton  county,  and 
the  days  of  1862  were  anything  but  happy  ones  for  those  who  loved 
their  country.  The  army  of  the  Potomac  delayed  and  hesitated,  failed 
to  follow  up  what  victories  it  won  and  news  of  defeat  and  of  bloody 
losses  filled  the  columns  of  the  papers.     In  Clayton  county,  however. 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS   AT    HOME  I47 

the  work  of  recruiting  and  the  work  of  furnishing  rehef  went  on 
without  interruption.  In  May,  as  a  result  of  numerous  entertainments, 
the  Sanitary  Society  of  Elkader  was  able  to  report  $128  receipts  during 
the  3  months  preceding.  At  Garnavillo  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Angier  turned 
their  house  over  to  rehef  work.  Mrs.  Shaw,  Mrs.  Rev.  Mathews,  Mrs. 
Brewster,  Mrs.  Stevens,  Mrs.  Dr.  Linton,  Mrs.  Bell,  Mrs.  Barnes 
and  daughter,  Miss  R.  Shaw,  and  Miss  L.  Angier  were  among  the 
Garnavillo  women  mentioned  as  active  in  relief  work. 

Volunteers — The  Elkader  Journal  has  the  following  to  say  con- 
cerning enlistments  in  the  summer  of  1862 :  "The  majority  of  the 
townships  are  doing  nobly  in  the  way  of  volunteering.  Some  of  them 
are  turning  out  extraordinarily;  Little  Buena  Vista  leads  the  van  by 
sending  50  per  cent  of  all  the  men  in  the  township  liable  to  military 
duty.  Four  companies  were  full  August  15.  Capt.  William  Crooke's 
company  left  on  Saturday  for  Dubuque  to  take  its  place  in  the  Twenty- 
first  Regiment  as  Company  B,  with  104  men.  Capt.  Elisha  Boardman 
has  enrolled  about  115  and  Lieut.  Grannis  started  with  a  portion  of  his 
company  for  Dubuque  on  Tuesday  morning,  via  Strawberry  Point 
and  the  railroad.  Capt.  Thomas  G.  Drips'  company  elected  officers  at 
Farmersburg  on  Monday.  This  company  joined  the  Twenty-seventh 
Iowa.  Capt.  Benton's  company  also  elected  officers  and  is  ready  to 
depart  for  camp  at  any  time.  Woolsencroft,  Shepherd  and  Williard 
are  raising  a  company  at  Monona.  Cleghorn  and  Frank  Hammer  are 
raising  still  another  company  at  McGregor.  Capt.  Boardman's  com- 
pany was  presented  with  a  banner  by  the  ladies  at  Elkader,  Miss 
Estella  Griswold  making  the  presentation  speech,  which  was  replied  to 
by  B.  T.  Hunt.  At  Dubuque,  Squire  Hutchins  presented  a  flag  to 
Capt.  Drips'  company  and  Sergeant  G.  Wilhams  replied,  thanking  the 
patriotic  citizens  of  Farmersburg,  Monona,  Grand  Meadow  and  Wag- 
ner townships  and  pledged  the  company  to  shed  the  last  drop  of  blood 
rather  than  see  the  flag  traihng  in  the  dust." 

Concerning  these  melancholy  days  of  1862,  the  Elkader  Journal 
says:  "All  is  dark  and  gloomy.  No  news  to  gladden  the  American 
patriot's  heart.  No  victories  to  cheer  the  lonely  widow  and  the  doting 
mother,  but  sad,  sad  reports  of  our  struggling  armies.  No  hope  for  a 
speedy  suppression  of  the  rebellion  and  a  restoration  of  peace;  but 
all  is  dark.  All  the  bright  prospects  of  a  few  months  since  have  van- 
ished ;  all  the  hopes  then  fondly  entertained  are  now  gone,  and  to  all 
of  this  we  are  expected  not  to  murmur.  Can  we  avoid  it?  This  is  the 
darkest  hour  of  our  country's  affliction.  Never  has  a  nation  had  more 
cause  for  desponding  than  we  now  have."  In  response  to  an  appeal 
for  relief  provisions,  made  by  the  Governor,  a  war  meeting  was  called 
at  the  court  house,  over  which  Thomas  UpdegrafT  presided,  with 
Alpheus  Scott,  as  secretary.  This  meeting  began  active  efforts,  both 
to  increase  enlistments  and  secure  supplies.  It  is  recorded  that  the 
ladies  did  not  wait  for  a  meeting,  but  that  two  of  them  started  out 
with  a  team  and  solicited  provisions.  Mrs.  E.  M.  Jerome,  as  secretary 
of  the  Clayton  Aid  Society,  makes  the  report  and  a  list  of  contributions 
fills  half  a  column  of  the  Journal.  One  of  the  pleasant  events  of  the 
wartime  was  the  presentation  of  a  sword  to  Capt.  E.  Boardman.  The 
Stone  Hall  was  crowded  and  B.  T.  Hunt,  Douglas  Rogers  and  J.  O. 


148  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Crosby  were  the  speakers.  An  Irish  regiment  was  formed  at  Dubuque 
and  Col.  Eiboeck,  who  had  returned  from  the  war  on  account  of  ill 
health,  went  into  the  southwestern  tier  of  townships  to  obtain  volun- 
teers. 

In  November,  1862,  Eliphalet  Price,  then  of  Guttenberg,  pro- 
posed the  erection  of  a  monument  to  the  Clayton  county  soldiers  who 
lost  their  lives  on  the  field  of  battle.  He  suggested  as  a  committee 
Mrs.  Alvah  Rogers  and  Mrs.  Laura  Stewart  of  Elkader;  Mrs.  Bixby, 
Lodomillo;  Mrs.  D.  Scott,  Monona;  Mrs.  John  Stoneman  and  Mrs. 
C.  F,  Remick  of  McGregor  and  Mrs.  Bosecker  of  Guttenberg  as  the 
committee.  This  suggestion  was  acted  upon  and  a  county  organiza- 
tion formed  and  a  prospective  site  selected,  but,  although  revived  from 
time  to  time,  the  necessity  of  caring  for  the  living  was  all  that  could 
be  done,  and  it  remained  for  this  generation  to  provide  the  beautiful 
monuments  which  are  now  to  be  found  in  Clayton  county  cemeteries  in 
memory  of  the  soldier  dead. 

More  Enlistments — In  August,  1862,  D.  E.  Meyer  organized  the 
Stuben  Guards,  a  company  largely  composed  of  Germans  and  recruited 
in  Guttenberg.  This  was  the  fifth  company  organized  in  Clayton 
county.  A  war  meeting  was  held  at  Guttenberg  which  was  attended  by 
a  large  delegation  from  McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien.  Reuben 
Noble  delivered  the  address  and  it  is  said  that  the  company  was  filled 
within  two  days.  Samuel  Merrill  of  McGregor  was  commissioned 
Colonel  of  the  Twenty-first  Regiment  and  left,  in  September,  1862,  to 
take  command  of  his  regiment.  In  spite  of  all  these  voluntary  enlist- 
ments, so  great  was  the  need  of  troops  that  it  was  feared  the  draft 
must  be  used  and  all  persons  between  18  and  45  were  listed  in  prepara- 
tion. The  time  for  volunteering  was  extended,  however,  and  the 
dreaded  draft  was  not  employed  in  Iowa,  in  1862.  Commissioner 
Crosby  enrolled  4,792  men  in  this  county,  as  subject  to  military  duty. 
The  threat  of  a  draft  stimulated  enlistment,  as  the  advantages  of  being 
a  volunteer  were  many,  as  they  received  better  pay  and  large  bounty. 
In  some  townships,  organizations  were  formed  which  paid  bounties  to 
volunteers  in  order  that  the  draft  might  be  avoided.  In  October,  a 
cavalry  company  was  formed  to  join  Wilson's  Independent  Regiment. 
Erin  S.  Ames  was  elected  captain  and  Hiram  A.  Park,  Alpheus  Scott 
and  Sam  B.  Coil  were  elected  lieutenants.  This  company  was  mus- 
tered in,  in  the  spring  of  1863,  and  was  part  of  the  Sixth  Cavalry, 
which  was  assigned  to  duty  against  the  Indians  along  the  Upper 
Missouri. 

Days  of  '6j — The  year  1862  closed  with  the  news  of  the  battle  of 
Fredericksburg  with  the  tremendous  Union  losses  and  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  that  there  were  dissensions  and  misgivings  among  the  Union 
men  and  that  various  projects  of  compromise  with  the  south  were  seri- 
ously considered.  Slavery  had  grown  to  be  the  paramount  issue  of 
the  war.  The  president  had  issued  a  proclamation  freeing  many  of 
the  slaves  and  this  advanced  step  had  caused  disruption  in  his  cabinet. 
The  incomplete  victory  and  the  defeat  of  the  Union  arms  had  discour- 
aged the  people  and  it  was  not  without  foundation  that  the  Elkader 
Journal  said  in  its  New  Year's  editorial,  "We  may  well  look  back 
with  awe  and  reverence  on  1862.     It  has  passed,  but  the  recollections 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS   AT    HOME  I49 

of  it  will  never  pass  away.  Its  great  events  will  live  green  in  the 
memory  of  scores  of  future  generations ;  and  happy  may  those  deem 
themselves  that  were  permitted  to  take  a  part  in  its  important  trans- 
actions, for  their  names  and  their  deeds  will  live  forever.  But  1863 
claims  our  attention  now;  a  year  that  promises  more,  even,  than  the 
past  has  given  us.  This  year  is  to  see  the  accomplishment  of  all  that 
for  which  we  have  been  contending  for  two  years.  This,  the  third 
year,  is  to  see  the  actual  downfall  of  slavery;  and  today,  a  proclama- 
tion partly  to  that  effect,  becomes  a  fact.  This  insuring  as  it  does  the 
success  of  the  Union  cause,  establishes  the  principle  of  self-govern- 
ment forever  and  throughout  the  world.     Then,  all  hail  to  1863." 

"Peace  Party" — The  dark  days  of  1862  continued  through  the 
first  half  of  1863 ;  in  fact  the  crisis  became  more  acute  in  every  way. 
The  non-success  of  the  Union  arms  bred  an  army  of  critics  of  Lincoln 
and  created  a  large  "Peace  Party"  who  believed  that  the  south  could 
not  be  beaten,  who  were  not  in  sympathy  with  the  freeing  of  the  slaves 
and  who  held  that  there  was  nothing  left  but  to  offer  an  acceptable 
compromise  to  the  south.  The  Union  men  argued  that  these  criti- 
cisms and  talks  of  compromise  served  only  to  encourage  the  south. 
Party  feeling  which  had  been  lost  sight  of  at  the  beginning  of  the  war 
again  developed.  The  politicians  of  the  Republican  party  wished  to 
reap,  for  themselves,  the  reward  of  the  great  impetus  the  war  had  given 
their  party.  Very  naturally,  this  was  distasteful  to  the  former  Demo- 
cratic leaders,  especially  those  Union  Democrats,  who  felt  that  the 
Republicans  had  no  copyright  to  patriotism.  All  this  led  to  much 
bitterness  and  to  suspicion  and  distrust  among  the  people  of  the  north. 
In  Clayton  county  Union  clubs  were  formed  in  nearly  every  town. 
These  meetings  were  largely  attended,  fiery  addresses  were  made, 
attacking  the  Copperheads  and  strong  resolutions  were  passed.  These 
were  somewhat  in  the  nature  of  secret  societies ;  at  Guttenberg,  it 
required  a  two-thirds  vote  to  admit  a  new  member.  On  the  other 
hand,  every  man  who  did  not  attend  or  ask  to  join  was  looked  upon 
with  distrust  and  as  disloyal  to  the  Union.  That  there  were  grounds 
for  this  feeling  is  undeniable. 

In  the  light  of  history  it  seems  incredible  that  any  man  could  have 
said  the  things  attributed  to  speakers  at  the  Peace  Convention  in  the 
report  of  that  meeting  given  in  the  Elkader  Journal.  According  to 
Col.  Eiboeck  one  of  the  speakers  said :  "It  is  an  Abolition  war.  I  am 
a  peace  man  now,  but,  if  the  government  interferes  with  my  freedom 
of  speech,  I  am  a  war  man !  The  Union  can't  be  saved.  The  south 
is  too  strong  for  it.  They  have  gained  all  the  victories  and  they  will 
continue  to  do  so.  It  is  useless  for  us  to  fight."  This  speaker  is  said 
to  have  called  Lincoln  "a  usurper"  and  to  have  called  upon  the  people 
"to  resist  the  tyranny  of  Lincoln."  Another  is  quoted  as  saying,  "I 
will  suffer  my  right  arm  to  be  severed  from  my  side  before  I  will  sup- 
port the  government."  In  the  following  issue  the  Journal  insists  that 
these  words  were  spoken  at  the  convention  and  that  the  speakers  were 
correctly  quoted.  It  is  needless  to  give  the  names  of  these  men,  for 
something  must  be  allowed  for  the  partisan  report  of  the  meeting  and 
the  men  themselves  doubtless  lived  to  bitterly  regret  their  words. 


150  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

There  were  reports,  or  rather  rumors,  that  lodges  of  the  Knights 
of  the  Golden  Circle  existed  in  the  county.  This  was  a  secret  order 
of  northern  sympathizers  with  the  south,  and  to  its  door  were  laid 
many  atrocities,  such  as  the  poisoning  of  wells,  the  spread  of  epidemic 
diseases  and  the  attempt  to  conspire  with  Canada  for  a  British  inva- 
sion. The  Journal  asserts  that  there  were  branches  of  this  order  at 
McGregor  and  at  Garnavillo  and  "thinks"  there  was  one  at  Elkader. 
There  is  no  proof  of  this,  however,  and  it  is  better  to  put  it  down  as  a 
mere  rumor,  based  upon  the  intense  loyalty  of  the  writer.  The  answer 
to  these  "peace  meetings"  was  given  at  the  Union  Convention  held  at 
Elkader  and  at  the  great  mass  meeting  held  at  McGregor,  at  which 
Col.  D.  B.  Henderson  "of  Postville"  makes  his  first  speech  in  this 
county,  and  at  which  William  B.  Allison  was  also  a  speaker. 

Sanitary  Society — To  complete  the  picture  of  the  first  half  of 
1863  it  must  be  noted  that  the  ladies'  Sanitary  Society  was  hard  at 
work  all  over  the  county  and  that  even  the  children  were  enlisted  in  the 
cause,  the  "Juvenile  Mite  Society"  contributing  regularly.  The 
Cenotaph  Society  was  busy  under  the  management  of  Laura  Stewart. 
Every  paper  carried  lists  of  the  dead  and  wounded  among  the  Clayton 
county  soldiers.  Maimed  and  crippled  soldiers  were  returning  from 
the  front.  Col.  Merrill  was  at  home,  having  been  wounded  at  Black 
Ridge.  There  were  also  inspiring  stories  of  the  bravery  of  Clayton 
county  men.  Col.  Merrill  reports  that  "Capt.  Boardman  of  Company 
D  won  imperishable  fame  by  a  single  act  before  the  rebel  works  at 
Vicksburg.  During  the  hot  action  attending  our  assault  and  repulse 
before  the  strong  works  of  the  enemy,  the  Twenty-first  Iowa  Regiment 
suffered  severely.  The  color  bearer  who  was  a  member  of  Capt. 
Boardman's  company,  fell,  wounded,  right  before  the  rebel  works,  and 
with  all  the  killed  and  wounded  was  left  behind  when  our  forces  fell 
back.  Notwithstanding,  heretofore  the  enemy's  sharp-shooters  had 
unerringly  picked  off  those  who  returned  after  the  wounded,  Capt. 
Boardman  said  he  would  take  off  his  men  himself,  or  fall  beside  them 
in  the  effort.  Divesting  himself  of  his  coat,  sword  and  belt,  he  went 
boldly  upon  the  field  and  finding  the  color-bearer  lifted  him  up  and 
bore  him  from  the  field.  '  Whether  impressed  by  his  audacity  or  not, 
the  rebels  reserved  their  fire,  and  others,  inspired  by  the  captain's 
glorious  example,  went  forward,  and  the  wounded  were  taken  off  and 
cared  for."  With  such  stories  to  inspire  them  there  were  many  enlist- 
ments, but  the  demand  for  troops  was  greater  than  the  supply  and  it 
seemed  that  the  dreaded  draft  was  inevitable.  In  June,  the  whole  state 
was  divided  into  recruiting  districts.  There  were  five  districts  in  this 
county  and  C.  C.  Schader,  Homer  Butler,  Charles  W.  Richardson, 
James  Davis  and  Nicholas  Ellis,  were  the  officers  of  the  draft  in  this 
county. 

War-tide  Turns — On  July  4,  1863,  the  tide  of  battle  turned.  The 
great  battle  of  Gettysburg  was  fought  and  won,  and  Lee's  army  was 
driven  from  northern  soil ;  in  the  west,  the  splendid  army  under  Gen- 
eral Grant,  had  captured  Vicksburg,  and  Pemberton  had  been  forced  to 
"unconditional  surrender."  From  this  time  on,  confidence  replaced 
doubt,  and  the  critics  and  peace  advocates  were  largely  silenced.  These 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS    AT    HOME  I5I 

victories,  too,  encouraged  enlistments  and  there  was  a  determination  to 
avoid  drafts  if  possible.  A  war  meeting  at  Volga  City  was  attended 
by  a  large  delegation  from  Elkader,  who  went  with  flying  colors  and 
martial  music.  Twenty  men  from  Boardman  township  volunteered 
for  the  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry  and  prepared  to  go  immediately  after 
harvest.  The  Journal  says,  "The  draft  is  certainly  coming.  The 
clothing  for  the  drafted  men  has  arrived  at  Dubuque."  In  August, 
the  official  notice  of  the  draft  was  published  and  provost  marshals 
were  empowered  to  call  for  aid  to  enforce  its  provisions.  The  election 
of  1863,  turned  upon  support  of  the  administration  and  its  war  policy 
and  resulted  in  a  sweeping  victory  for  the  Union  party,  the  majorities 
ranging  from  300  to  400,  and  this  was  largely  increased  when  the 
soldier  vote  was  added.  In  Buena  Vista  the  vote  was  40  for  the  Union 
ticket,  and  i  against. 

It  was  found  that  a  mistake  had  been  made  in  figuring  Iowa's 
quota,  and  that  instead  of  being  subject  to  draft  it  had  already  sent 
6,(X)0  soldiers  in  excess  of  its  quota.  At  this  time,  however,  the  pres- 
ident issued  a  call  for  300,000  additional  volunteers  and  this  made  the 
draft  inevitable.  It  was  decided  to  draft  by  townships  and  all  eligible 
men  were  enrolled  and  it  was  figured  that  285  men  must  be  drafted 
from  the  county.  Buena  Vista  lacked  but  3  men  of  having  furnished 
its  quota.  Elk  but  4,  and  Marion  but  5,  while  from  Mendon  61  were 
needed.  With  these  figures  before  them,  the  people  made  strenuous 
efforts  to  avoid  the  draft  by  securing  volunteers.  A  bounty  of  $402 
for  reenlistment  and  $302  for  new  recruits  was  offered  by  Joseph 
Eiboeck  as  recruiting  officer  for  Boardman  township.  By  February, 
1864,  Garnavillo  had  filled  its  quota  of  14  men,  the  citizens  paying 
an  added  bounty  of  $100  for  each  volunteer.  At  Farmersburg,  also, 
the  quota  was  filled  by  a  bounty  offer  of  $150,  to  each  volunteer.  The 
Garnavillo  recruits  marched  to  McGregor,  crossed  the  river  and 
entrained  for  Davenport.  Lieut.  Charles  Williams  and  Sergeant 
Everall  escorted  them,  but  returned  to  continue  recruiting.  At  this 
time  came  the  news  of  another  call  for  500,000  men,  for  a  period  of  3 
years  or  until  the  close  of  the  war.  And  to  this  call  N.  B.  Baker, 
Adjt.  General  of  Iowa,  responded:  "To  President  Lincoln:  I  have  just 
received  your  dispatch  for  a  draft  of  500,000  troops  after  ]March  10. 
There  will  be  no  draft  in  Iowa.  You  shall  have  your  quota  without  it. 
'We  are  coming.  Father  Abraham,  with  five  hundred  thousand  more'. 
By  order  Governor  Stone.     N.  B.  Baker,  Adjt.  General." 

March  10,  1864,  was  set  as  the  day  for  the  draft.  Throughout  the 
county  strenuous  efforts  were  made  to  secure  volunteers.  At 
McGregor  the  council  offered  an  additional  bounty  of  $100  for  Mendon 
township  volunteers  and  by  private  subscription  $4,000  additional  was 
raised.  At  that  time  21  men  were  lacking.  A  great  effort  was  made 
and  by  night,  19  men  had  enlisted  and  5  more  were  enlisted  later,  mak- 
ing 3  more  than  required  to  escape  draft.  Marion,  Giard  and  Monona 
had  raised  their  quota  of  volunteers  and  it  was  reported  that  nearly 
every  township  in  the  county  would  escape  drafting.  Owing  to  the 
number  of  enlistments  throughout  the  country,  the  draft  was  post- 
poned, but  the  hope  that  it  would  not  be  used  was  dashed  in  April, 
when  a  call  for  200,000  additional  troops  was  made.     In  May  the  call 


152  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

came  for  100,000  volunteers  for  100  days,  in  order  to  allow  the  veteran 
troops  to  be  pushed  to  the  front  as  it  was  felt  that  in  this  way  the  war 
could  be  rapidly  ended.  T.  C.  Young  was  recruiting  officer  at  Elkader 
and  Dr.  J.  A.  Blanchard,  Monroe  Snedigar  and  Hiram  Barnam  were 
the  first  to  enlist  under  the  100  day  call.  The  news  from  Grant's  army 
continued  to  be  "glorious"  and  within  a  week  40  men  had  enlisted  at 
Elkader. 

Election  of  1864 — In  1864  the  question  of  the  presidential  election 
was  intimately  connected  with  the  war.  Upon  the  nomination  of 
Lincoln  and  Johnson  by  the  Republicans  the  following  from  the 
McGregor  Times  may  be  said  to  fairly  represent  the  attitude  of  the 
opposition.  Col.  Richardson  says,  "We  shall  endeavor  to  show  that 
the  American  people  have  had  enough  of  the  dangerous  assumption 
of  power  which  has  distinguished,  for  four  years,  nearly,  the  present 
imbecile  administration."  The  Republicans,  however,  rejoiced  in  the 
renomination  of  Lincoln  and  were  strong  in  his  support. 

Sanitary  Fair — Throughout  the  year  great  preparations  were 
made  in  Clayton  county  for  the  great  "Sanitary  Fair"  which  was  held 
in  Dubuque.  Delegations  of  Dubuque  people  visited  the  county  and 
appeals  of  all  kinds  were  made,  and  festivals  were  held  in  many  of  the 
towns,  the  proceeds  to  be  devoted  to  this  affair.  The  result  was  that 
Clayton  county  was  awarded  first  prize  for  having  the  largest  exhibit 
of  any  county.  Many  from  this  county  attended  the  Dubuque  fair, 
at  which  Clayton  occupied  a  booth  with  Winneshiek  county.  The 
Clayton  exhibit  was  presided  over  by  Mrs.  P.  M.  Potter  and  Louise 
Keys  of  Elkader,  and  Mrs.  H.  P.  George  and  Mrs.  Robert  Grant  of 
McGregor.  The  proceeds  of  the  fair  were  more  than  $64,000  and 
were  used  for  the  relief  of  sick  and  wounded  soldiers.  Next  to 
Dubuque,  Clayton  county  made  the  largest  cash  contribution  to  the 
fair,  the  amount  being  $1,919.80. 

On  July  27,  1864,  the  Adjt.  General  of  the  state  issued  an  order 
requiring  the  enrolled  militia  of  the  state  (which  meant  all  eligible  for 
military  duty)  to  organize  themselves  into  companies,  not  less  than  40 
or  exceeding  100  men.  Clayton  county  was  required  to  organize  40  of 
such  companies.  The  Elkader  Journal  speaks  of  this  as  the  darkest 
hour  of  the  war. 

Drafting — Under  the  new  apportionment,  to  complete  the  repeated 
calls  for  men,  306  volunteers  were  required  from  Clayton  county.  Of 
these,  JefTerson  had  to  furnish  the  most,  44,  and  Lodomillo,  the  few- 
est, 2.  This  double  call  stirred  the  county.  To  avoid  the  draft,  clubs 
were  formed,  10  men  subscribing  $100  each,  or  20  men  subscribing  $50, 
to  be  paid  a  volunteer  in  case  any  of  the  club  members  were  drafted. 

A  draft  was  ordered  for  September  5.  At  McGregor  $6,000  was 
raised  and  the  following  advertisement  published :  McGregor  will  pay 
for  one  year  volunteers  $200,  for  three  years  $300,  in  addition  to  the 
government  bounty  of  $100.  Capt.  W.  A.  Benton,  enlisting  officer.  In 
compliance  with  the  order  to  enroll  in  companies  lists  of  names  were 
printed  of  those  who  were  required  to  meet  and  organize.  T.  M. 
Hopkins  was  captain  of  national  guards  at  McGregor  and  John  Van 
Staden  was  captain  of  the  McGregor  Rifles  and  at  Elkader  every  able 
bodied  man  was  called  out  to  organize  at  Stone  Hall. 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS   AT    HOME  I53 

In  October,  the  draft  was  a  reality  in  Clayton  county.  The  first 
township  heard  from  was  Cass,  where  twelve  names  were  drawn  to 
fill  the  quota  of  six  men  required.  On  October  13,  was  published  the 
list  of  men  drawn.  The  deficit  to  be  made  up  was  as  follows,  Mallory 
10,  Jefferson  24,  Millville  4,  Volga  11,  Read  4,  Farmersburg,  4,  Giard 
9,  Cox  Creek,  14,  Lodomillo  i,  Elk  i,  Sperry  4,  Grand  Meadow  10, 
Highland  10,  Wagner  11,  Cass  6,  Monona  9,  Clayton  2,  Boardman  10, 
Marion  9.  Twice  the  number  of  names  were  drawn  as  were  required, 
in  order  to  provide  for  exemptions.  Of  the  draft,  the  Elkader  Journal 
says,  "The  draft  has  taken  place  at  last.  For  the  first  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  this  state,  has  been  felt  the  always  dreaded  conscription.  For 
the  first  time,  the  citizens  of  Iowa  have  realized  that  anxiety,  that  dread 
and  that  perplexity,  incident  for  a  draft  for  soldiers.  But,  it  is  over; 
the  die  is  cast.  Those  whose  names  were  (unfortunately  for  them, 
perhaps)  drawn,  are  bound  to  obey  the  decision  of  that  mysterious 
lottery  box,  unless  exempted  by  some  physical  disability.  We  are  not 
disposed  to  cheer  over  the  result,  for  it  has  taken  many  a  man  within 
our  knowledge  whose  family  will  necessarily  be  left  on  the  charity  of 
others,  men  who  are  poor  and  have  not  been  able  to  make  provisions 
for  their  families.  With  such  men,  we  sympathize.  The  rich  can 
j>rocure  substitutes,  and  secessionists  will  learn  an  important  lesson, 
viz:  that  we  have  a  government,  and  that  that  government  must  be 
sustained  at  all  hazards,  while  engaged  in  the  prosecution  of  this  war. 
There  was  considerable  feeling  in  town  about  the  time  the  news  came ; 
many  anxious  faces,  and  many  glad  ones,  afterward.  In  this  town- 
ship, the  draft  happened  to  hit  a  number  of  poor  family  men,  and 
some  who  are  totally  incapable,  from  military  disability,  from  serving 
as  soWiers;  so  that  it  is  very  probable  that  another  draft  will  have  to 
be  made  to  fill  the  quota." 

Supplementary  Draft — In  November,  1864,  a  supplementary  draft 
was  made  to  complete  the  deficit.  Forty-two  men  were  required  and 
eighty-four  were  drawn.  Speaking  editorially  of  the  draft,  the  Jour- 
nal states  that  it  worked  badly;  "Numberless  provost  marshals,  clerks 
anil  detectives,  were  kept  busy  day  and  night,  at  large  salaries,  to  ferret 
out  runaways  and  deserters  and  trouble  was  everywhere.  Out  of 
500,000  called  for,  only  240,000  were  raised."  This  editorial  is  called 
out  by  the  issue  of  a  new  call  for  300,000  men  and  the  possibility  of 
another  draft.  A  war  meeting  was  held  at  Elkader,  December  28,  to 
correct  the  enrollment  list  and  devise  means  of  filling  the  quota  of  the 
township.  The  meeting  asked  the  supervisors  to  oflfer  a  county 
bounty.  The  supervisors  acted  favorably  on  this  request  and,  in  Jan- 
uary, 1865,  oflfered  a  bounty  of  $400  for  volunteers.  The  vote  of  the 
board  was  a  tie,  P.  G.  Baily,  the  chairman,  casting  the  deciding  vote. 
As  a  result  of  this  Boardman,  Farmersburg  and  Cox  Creek  townships 
were  soon  out  of  the  draft.  Cox  Creek  being  away  ahead.  JefTerson 
township  men  conducted  a  draft  of  their  own ;  they  sent  to  Dubuque 
for  a  corrected  enrollment  and  proceeded  to  draft  in  their  township. 
Those  drawn  could  take  the  $400  bounty  and  go.  or  furnish  a  man. 
Boardman  township  gave  an  additional  bounty  of  $200  for  each  volun- 
teer. Later,  in  January,  1865,  came  the  joyful  tidings  that  no  draft 
would  be  necessary. 


154  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

During  the  year  it  was  reported  by  the  Elkader  Soldiers'  Aid 
Society  that  $69.75  had  been  contributed  in  cash  or  goods. 

Victory  Is  Heard — As  the  year  1865  progressed  it  became  more 
and  more  apparent  that  the  confederacy  was  on  the  wane  and  each  day 
brought  news  of  Federal  victories.  In  March,  the  capture  of  Charles- 
ton was  reported  and  later  came  the  news  of  Sheridan's  victory,  all  of 
which  led  up  to  the  "most  glorious  news !  Richmond  ours !  The  day 
of  reckoning  has  come !"  On  April  12,  the  news  was  printed,  "Lee  and 
his  whole  army  surrender,  GLC)RY!  GLORY!"  The  Elkader  paper 
says,  "The  taking  of  Richmond  was  appropriately  celebrated  in  this 
place  last  week,  David  Livingood  fired  guns  in  honor  of  the  event. 
Joseph  Ross  had  his  flag  flying  to  the  breeze,  and  a  general  jubilee  was 
had  over  the  event." 

Death  of  Lincoln — And  then,  as  a  thunderbolt  from  a  clear  sky, 
came  the  news  of  the  death  of  Lincoln,  the  most  terrible  tragedy  ever 
recorded  in  the  history  of  the  world.  Governor  Stone  appointed 
April  27,  as  a  day  of  humiliation  and  prayer,  and  it  is  not  to  be  won- 
dered at  that,  with  grief,  there  was  mingled  a  bitter  resentment  against 
the  northern  traitors  who  had  hounded  the  martyred  president  during 
every  step  of  that  perilous  journey  by  which  he  led  his  country 
through  the  pathway  of  war  to  a  glorious  peace.  The  day  of  mourn- 
ing was  generally  observed  throughout  Clayton  county.  Services  were 
held  in  all  the  churches,  business  was  suspended  and  the  busy  farmers 
left  their  fields  to  bow  their  heads  in  honor  of  the  beloved  Lincoln.  At 
Elkader  there  was  a  solemn  parade  to  the  church  on  the  east  side  of 
the  river  and  H.  B.  Carter  presided  at  the  meeting.  Rev.  J.  R.  Cameron 
led  in  prayer,  B.  T.  Hunt  delivered  an  eloquent  address,  Rev.  Cameron 
spoke  and  the  meeting  closed  with  a  benediction  by  Rev.  H.  Gififord. 
Captain  Tipton  was  the  marshal  of  the  day  and  the  guards  fired  a 
salute  as  they  marched  across  the  bridge. 

Homecoming — The  last  chapter  of  the  war  history  of  Clayton 
county  is  written  when  the  boys  come  home.  Not  all  of  them — nearly 
200  were  buried  on  southern  battle  fields,  and  to  many  a  home  the 
return  of  the  soldiers  gave  but  added  poignancy  to  grief,  as  a  fresh 
reminder  of  the  vacant  chair.  Nevertheless,  the  homecoming  was  a 
time  of  joy  and  pride,  and  in  every  part  of  the  county  the  veterans 
were  greeted  with  honor  and  with  cheers.  Unfortunately  the  record 
of  but  one  of  these  receptions  has  been  preserved  and  that  tells  of  the 
return  of  Capt.  Boardman's  company.  The  Journal  tells  the  story  in 
the  following  words :  "On  Wednesday  morning,  the  news  reached  here 
that  Boardman's  company  of  the  Twenty-first  and  Company  E  of  the 
Ninth  Regiment,  had  arrived  at  McGregor,  and  would  be  at  Elkader 
that  day.  The  friends  of  the  brave  boys  in  this  place  set  to  work  at 
once  to  give  them  a  hearty  reception.  A  dinner  was  proposed  for 
them.  The  Stars  and  Stripes  were  raised  on  liberty  pole ;  three  or  four 
teams — one  of  four  horse — with  fife  and  drum  and  banner  flying, 
started  out  to  meet  them ;  but  the  boys  did  not  come.  It  was  only  late 
in  the  night  that  they  cheered  our  citizens  with  their  presence.  How- 
ever, August  18  was  set  aside  as  the  day  when  they  should  return  the 
flag  which  they  had  carried  through  three  years  of  war.  That  day  was 
a  big  holiday  in  Elkader.     The  town  was  crowded  with  people  from 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — EVENTS   AT    HOME  1 55 

various  parts  of  the  county,  but  mostly  from  the  southwestern  part.  It 
was  a  grand  rallying  day  of  the  soldiers  who  had  gone  to  the  war  from 
this  and  adjoining  towns.  The  flag  floated  high  in  the  breeze  over  the 
town,  welcoming  the  brave  boys  who  had  fought  so  nobly  under  the 
Stars  and  Stripes.  Three  years  ago  on  that  day.  Company  D,  of  the 
Twenty-first  Iowa  Infantry  Volunteers  was  presented  with  a  flag  by  the 
ladies  at  Elkader,  which  the  company  then  promised  to  return  to  them 
on  the  close  of  the  war.  This  anniversary  was  therefore  agreed  upon 
by  the  company  as  the  day  when  the  flag  should  be  returned  to  the 
ladies,  and  they  took  this  opportunity  of  getting  them  up  a  splendid 
dinner,  and  in  fact,  such  a  festival  as  was  due  to  these  brave  defenders 
of  our  country.  All  the  returned  soldiers  of  other  companies  who 
enlisted  from  this  township  were  invited  and  most  of  them  accepted  the 
invitation.  A  procession  was  formed  in  front  of  the  Stone  Hall  and 
marched  to  the  square  in  front  of  James  Partch's  residence  where,  three 
years  previously,  the  flag  had  been  presented  to  Company  D.  A.  C. 
Rogers  was  president  of  the  day;  B.  T.  Hunt,  in  behalf  of  the  company, 
returned  the  flag  which  had  been  through  eight  battles,  and  had  come 
forth  in  glory  and  victory.  Miss  Mattie  Mahoney,  in  behalf  of  the 
ladies,  in  a  beautiful  address,  responded.  This  was  followed  by  the 
popular  air,  "Jol"'"  Brown,"  led  by  the  choir.  The  soldiers  and  citi- 
zens marched  back  to  the  hall,  where  a  general  social  was  indulged  in. 
Old  friends  there  met  again  and  rehearsed,  in  brief,  their  history  dur- 
ing the  eventful  three  years  just  passed.  It  was  a  treat  of  itself  to  see 
these  brave  boys  take  each  other  by  the  hand,  and  old  friends  gather 
around  and  welcome  them  with  a  cordiality  that  must  have  done  them 
good.  There  was  a  dinner  at  which  two  long  tables  were  covered  with 
the  best  the  county  could  afford.  Then  there  were  toasts ;  to  Company 
D ;  to  the  soldiers  of  Clayton  county ;  to  the  Union — one  and  insepar- 
able; to  the  ladies,  without  whom  the  rebellion  could  not  have  been 
crushed ;  to  Washington  and  Lincoln ;  to  our  children ;  to  the  president 
of  the  United  States  and  to  our  starved  and  fallen  soldiers — may  the 
tramp  of  angelic  hosts  waken  them  to  new  life  and  glory." 


AOTOt,    LBNOX    AND 


MAJ.  A.  T.  PEICE  V.  V.  PKICE 

SOLDIEES'   MONUMENT.   STEAWBEREY  POINT 
tSTEEET  SCENE,  STEAWBEEEY  POINT 

NEWBEEEY  SPEINGS,  STEAWBEEEY  POINT 


CHAPTER  VII 


WAR  HISTORY— 1861-1865— AT  THE  FRONT 

THIRD  INFANTRY — NINTH  INFANTRY — I2TH  INFANTRY — 2IST  IN- 
FANTRY— 27TH  INFANTRY — FIRST  CAVALRY — SIXTH  CAVALRY SEV- 
ENTH     CAVALRY — EIGHTH      CAVALRY OTHER      REGIMENTS — ROLL     OF 

HONOR. 

THE  Third  Infantry  was  the  first  of  the  Clayton  county  volun- 
teers to  be  mustered  into  the  service.  It  was  sworn  into  the 
service  at  Keokuk  in  June,  1861.  Nathan  G.  Williams  was  the 
colonel  and  the  regiment  was  first  used  in  the  campaign  to  retain 
Missouri  as  a  Union  state.  Its  first  battle  was  fought  Sept.  17,  1861, 
at  Blue  Mills  Landing  and  its  behavior  in  the  first  engagement  was 
very  creditable.  The  company  remained  in  Missouri  guarding  the 
North  Missouri  Railroad  until  1862.  March  17  of  that  year,  it  was 
made  a  part  of  General  Grant's  army  in  Tennessee,  being  assigned  to 
the  division  commanded  by  General  Hurlbut.  It  took  part  in  the 
battle  of  Shiloh  and  was  instrumental  in  preventing  defeat  on  the  first 
day,  and  aided  in  gaining  the  victory  on  the  second  day  of  battle.  It 
was  active  in  the  campaign  about  Corinth  and  gave  a  good  account 
of  itself  in  the  battle  of  Hatchie.  It  was  with  Grant  at  Vicksburg,  in 
May  and  June,  1863,  fought  bravely  and  had  many  casualties  and  par- 
ticipated in  the  campaign  against  Johnson.  It  was  in  camp  several 
months  at  Natchez,  Mississippi,  and  here,  more  than  200  of  the  regi- 
ment reenlisted,  as  veteran  volunteers,  for  three  years.  The  remainder 
of  the  regiment  was  engaged  in  the  campaign  along  the  Red  River  in 
Arkansas.  The  veteran  volunteers  were  with  Sherman  at  Atlanta  and 
their  numbers  were  so  depleted  by  stubborn  fighting,  that  the  remnant 
of  the  regiment  was  consolidated  with  the  Second  Iowa  Infantry. 
William  M.  Stone,  the  first  major  in  this  regiment  was  afterwards 
Governor  of  Iowa.  The  names  of  the  Clayton  county  members  of 
this  regiment  were  as  follows : 

Third  Infantry — Sergeant  Major,  William  M.  Morris.  Company 
C — Captain,  Sidney  B.  Sladden ;  First  Lieutenant,  Douglas  Leffing- 
will ;  Second  Lieutenant,  James  Call ;  Sergeants,  John  Schroeder, 
Wm.  Hooper,  Johen  K.  Saunders,  David  B.  Moe.  William  Gibby; 
Corporals,  James  C.  Murry,  William  Bates,  Benjaminen  Hunting, 
Hervey  Dix,  Allen  Sparks,  Alfred  Mitchell ;  Musician,  Joshua 
McGinnis ;  Wagoner,  John  Mack ;  Privates,  James  T.  Bell,  James  W. 


158  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Call,  George  Call,  Sylvanus  Carmack,  John  C.  Craig,  William  H. 
Dennison,  Herman  Drone,  Dennis  Dunivan,  James  Douding,  Eron  C. 
Dickinson,  Chris  Dowhower,  Jesse  Enders,  Wm.  M.  Eckert,  James 
Fulton,  Hugh  Fulton,  Hiram  Fordney,  Andrew  Foose,  Joel  Fairchild, 
John  K.  Goldtrip,  John  Henry,  Wm,  Hutchinson,  Alvin  Hart,  Wm. 
C.  Hazen,  Simon  Hays,  Philip  Hoffman,  Sidney  Irish,  Ole  Johnson, 
Wm.  S.  Jones,  Charles  James,  Carl  Kortman,  John  Leighty,  John 
Lyons,  Charles  Meder,  John  B.  W.  Madden,  Levi  Minnick,  James 
Morril,  John  Maddox,  Chauncy  D.  McCoy,  Charles  Merril,  David  F. 
Merrit,  John  Mack,  Barney  McLoon,  Wm.  E.  Norris,  Wm.  H.  Philips, 
Horace  N.  Peters,  Myron  D.  Peters,  Joseph  Pleighten,  Joseph 
Richards,  Thomas  Rippey,  Frederick  Resa,  Peter  Renter,  Thomas 
Styles,  Dewitt  Scott,  Henry  Sparks,  Lester  Squires,  Wm.  C.  Stevenson, 
John  Stamm,  Reuben  Tubbs,  Patrick  Tracy,  George  H.  Todd,  Adam 
Thein,  Daniel  VanDyke,  Jacob  Verhei,  Wm.  Whipple,  George  Wentz, 
Frank  Williams,  Jacob  Weisencee,  Lorenzo  Wakefield;  Additional 
Enlistments,  James  Tappan,  Veterans.  Company  C  Privates,  Artemus 
E.  Ball,  Wm.  Ecker.  Company  F  contained  privates  Addison,  Bullock, 
Allen,  Mulenix,  Jr.,  Henry  C.  Pooler,  Stephen  D.  Conley. 

The  following  promotions  were  made :  Company  C — Douglas 
Laffingwell,  First  Lieutenant,  to  Captain ;  Carl  Kortman,  private  to 
First  Sergeant,  Second  Lieutenant,  First  Lieutenant;  Moe,  Fourth 
Sergeant  to  First  Sergeant  and  Second  Lieutenant. 

The.  Ninth  Infantry — This  regiment  was  organized  by  Hon. 
William  Vandever,  member  of  Congress  from  this  district.  Two  com- 
panies of  this  regiment  were  organized  in  this  county,  one  under  Capt. 
Alvah  Bevins  and  one  under  Elisha  A.  Crary.  It  was  one  of  the  first 
regiments  to  enlist  and  was  mustered  into  the  service  September  25, 
1861.  It  was  in  barracks  at  Benton,  Missouri,  for  several  months  and 
then  became  a  part  of  the  army  of  the  southwest,  under  Gen.  S.  R. 
Curtis.  The  regiment  encamped  at  Rolla,  Missouri,  and  at  this  place 
a  number  of  Clayton  county  volunteers  died  from  disease  or  exposure. 
Gen.  Curtis  was  successful  in  driving  Price,  the  confederate  general, 
out  of  Missouri  and  into  Arkansas.  Col.  Vandever  was  at  this  time  in 
command  of  a  brigade  of  which  the  Ninth  Regiment  was  a  part.  A 
two  days'  battle  was  fought  at  Pea  Ridge  and  the  Ninth  Regiment 
played  an  important  part  in  winning  the  final  victory.  The  Fourth  and 
Ninth  Iowa  were  given  special  mention  by  Gen.  Curtis  in  the  official 
report  of  the  battle.  In  the  first  day  of  this  fight  the  Ninth  lost  nearly 
one-fourth  of  its  force  and  it  had  not  a  single  field  officer  fit  for  duty. 
Capt.  Bevins  was  among  those  killed  at  this  battle. 

Following  the  battle  at  Pea  Ridge  the  regiment  encamped  at  Helena, 
Arkansas,  where  it  remained  for  five  months.  So  gallant  was  the  con- 
duct of  this  regiment,  and  such  its  fame,  that  the  ladies  of  Boston  pre- 
sented it  with  a  stand  of  beautiful  silk  colors.  These  were  presented 
to  the  regiment  by  Miss  Phoebe  Adams  and,  after  carrying  them  vic- 
toriously on  many  a  battle  field,  one  of  the  flags  was  returned  to  the 
donors  and  the  other  presented  to  William  Vandever,  who  had  then 
risen  to  the  rank  of  Brevet  Major-General. 

Leaving  Helena  the  regiment  was  attached  to  Thayer's  brigade  of 
Steele's  division,  under  Sherman  and  joined  in  the  operations  against 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 ^AT   THE   FRONT  I59 

Vicksburg.     It  was  engaged  in  a  number  of  the  minor  engagements 
leading  to  the  capture  of  Vicksburg  and  encamped  at  Young's  Point, 
Louisiana,  just  across  the  river  from  Vicksburg.     The  regiment  lost 
heavily  by  sickness  and  disease  at  this  camp  which  was  swampy  and 
badly  located.     Colonel  Vandever  having  been  promoted  a  brigadier 
general,  Captain  David  Carscaddon  succeeded  him.     In  April,  1863, 
the  regiment  was  with  Steele  in  his  expedition  into  central  Mississippi 
to  prevent  the  relief  of  Vicksburg.     It  then  took  part  in  the  assault 
upon  Vicksburg;  its  total  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  in  this  campaign 
being  121.    Following  the  fall  of  Vicksburg,  the  regiment  rested  until 
September,  when  it  was   sent  to  Tennessee,  where,   under  General 
Hooker,  it  took  part  in  the  battle  of  Lookout  Mountain.    In  1864  nearly 
300  of  this  regiment  re-enlisted  and  it  became  a  veteran  regiment  and 
in  May  it  was  sent  to  the  south  and  marched  with  Sherman  "from 
Atlanta  to  the  sea,"  taking  part  in  all  the  famous  battles  of  that  cam- 
paign in  Georgia  and  marching  with  the  great  commander  through 
the  Carolinas  and  taking  part  in  the  grand  review  at  Washington.    It 
was  mustered  out  at  Louisville,  Kentucky,  July  18,  1865,  and  it  was 
disbanded  at  Clinton,  Iowa.     This  regiment  took  part  in  twenty-five 
battles,  traversed  every  state  of  the  Confederacy,  except  Florida  and 
Texas ;  marched  4000  miles  and  traveled  6000  miles  by  rail  or  water. 
Ninth     Infantry — Company     E — Captain     Alva     Bevins,     First 
Lieutenant  Dewitt  C.  Baker,  Second  Lieutenant  Andrew  F.  Hofer, 
Sergeants  Elisha  A.  Crary,  Robert  L.  Freeman,  James  Flannagan; 
Corporals  Joseph  Lampert,  Lyman  Sargent,  William  McCabe,  Joseph 
Garretson,  William  Bishop,  William  Doty,  Wagoner  Laverne  W.  Bur- 
dick,  Privates  Thompson  Bishop,  Joseph  Bradshaw,  Almon  C.  Ballou, 
Louis  Bateman,  James  M.  Chapman,  Edgar  Crane,  Warren  S.  Forbes, 
John  S.  Garretson,  George  Greene,  Perry  Hall,  Louis  H.  Hathway, 
Hesekiah  R.  Hugh,  Levi  Hendricks,  Christian  Kaiser,  John  Morrison, 
Noyes   Rossman,  John   Reichart,   Alexander  Rice,   Timothy   Seeber, 
Fred  Smith,  Henry   Stevens,  Cyrus  L.  Troman,  Josiah  L.   Wragg, 
Charles   Weseman,    Frank   Weber;   additional    enlistments,    William 
Bartholomew,  A.  J.  Bartholomew,  George  Carpenter,  Allen  McLavy, 
John  L.  Howard,  Joseph  Eiboeck,  Clement  Dorland,  John  C.  Bachtell, 
Levi  M.  Corbin,  Thomas  J.  Dragg,  Albert  Greely,  Charles  Allen,  John 
M.  Barnhouse,  James  N.  Barnhouse,  Francis  N.  Hughes.     Veterans 
Company  E,  Captain  Elisha  A.  Crary,  Second  Lieutenant  Josiah  L. 
Wragg,  Sergeants  Almon  C.  Ballou,  Joseph  Garretson,  John  H.  Gar- 
retson, Privates  A.  J.  Bartholomew,  Joseph  Ewine,  Thomas  Fischer, 
Eleazer  Fuller,  Thomas  Gannon,  Darvin  Hill,  Wilder  B.  King,  William 
Long,  Fred  Meisner,  Henry  Putnam,  William  McCabe,  John  Perry, 
Gottlieb  Menke,  Wilbert  Partch,  Albert  D.  Strunk,  Timothy  Shaffer, 
James  Wilson,  Joseph  M.  Wright,     Company  F,  Privates  Jeremiah 
Merry,  Grimes  Snow.    Company  G,  Privates  Thomas  Dempsey,  John 
Dumton.     Company  I,  Sergeant  John  S.  Mather.     In  Company  G 
was  Private  James  M.  Gibson;  in  Company  I  was  John  Gemmill, 
private ;  and  unassigned  were  Privates  David  C.  Fuller,  Edwin  Alorgan, 
William  Oxley,  Martin  Alexander,  John  H.  Bloodsworth,  John  Burns 
and  David  Lightly.     The   following  promotions  were  made  in   the 
Ninth :    Dewitt  C.  Baker,  first  lieutenant  to  captain ;  Elisha  A.  Crary^ 


l6o  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

second  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  and  captain ;  John  H.  Garretson, 
private  to  second  corporal  and  first  lieutenant ;  Josiah  L.  Wragg, 
private  to  fifth  corporal  and  second  lieutenant. 

Twelfth  Infantry — Clayton  county  contributed  about  forty  men  to 
this  regiment  which  was  one  of  the  longest  in  service  during  the  war. 
It  was  mustered  in  at  Dubuque  in  the  fall  of  1861  and  proceeded  to 
Benton  barracks  where  it  remained  until  the  spring  of  1862.  In 
February  it  was  a  part  of  General  Grant's  command  at  Fort  Donel- 
son.  It  played  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  battle  of  Shiloh  and  was 
one  of  the  regiments  which  protected  the  army  from  complete  annihila- 
tion. On  the  memorable  first  day  of  that  battle,  they  sacrificed  them- 
selves with  great  heroism,  holding  the  Confederates  at  bay  until  the 
arrival  of  Buell.  At  the  close  of  the  day's  fighting  they  were  com- 
pelled to  surrender  and  were  held  for  eight  months  as  prisoners  of 
war.  That  portion  of  the  regiment,  about  150  men,  not  in  the  battle 
of  Shiloh,  served  during  this  time  in  what  was  known  as  the  Union 
Brigade.  The  men  of  this  regiment  were  exchanged,  in  April,  1863, 
and  the  regiment  was  at  once  reorganized.  It  took  part  in  the  Vicks- 
burg  campaign  and  in  January,  1864,  it  was  mustered  in  as  a  veteran 
regiment,  a  larger  proportion  re-enlisting  than  from  any  other  regiment 
from  the  state.  It  was  engaged  in  the  campaign  in  Mississippi,  fighting 
in  the  battle  of  Tupelo.  It  then  took  part  in  the  Arkansas  campaign 
and  was  in  the  campaign  against  Price  in  Missouri.  Later  it  took 
part  in  the  operations  against  Mobile  and  was  not  mustered  out  of 
service  until  the  spring  of  1866. 

Twelfth  Infantry — Company  F,  Sergeant  Rodney  W.  Tirril,  Cor- 
poral Parsons  F.  Haskell,  Privates  Alonzo  E.  Brown,  Joseph  E.  Eld- 
ridge,  Thomas  Hinkle,  Marshall  Lazelle,  Orrin  Scoville,  George  W. 
Wooldridge.  Company  H,  Sergeant  Valmah  V.  Price,  Corporals 
Bernard  D.  Cambell,  James  F,  Mosley,  Privates  John  W.  Benedict, 
Sylvester  Barber,  Richard  W.  Kolver,  Jacob  V.  Crist,  Williard  Claus- 
sen,  George  S.  Douglas,  James  S.  Flenniken,  John  B.  Flenniken,  George 
W.  Felter,  Abel  C.  Gilmore,  John  C.  Newman,  Alexander  Presho, 
William  Roice,  Charles  W.  Smith,  Thomas  Smith,  Joseph  A.  Light, 
Edward  Winch,  William  Walker.  Company  I,  Sergeant  Ewen  B. 
Campbell,  Corporal  Patrick  McManus,  Privates  James  Brown,  Robert 
P.  Brown,  Samuel  Gordon,  Will  H.  Markham.  In  Company  C  was 
Sergeant  George  W.  Cook,  afterward  captain ;  Company  D,  Private 
James  D.  Brown ;  Company  G,  Privates  Jeremiah  Maloney  and  Aminon 
Oleson. 

Twenty-first  Infanty — The  most  distinctively  Clayton  county 
regiment  of  the  war  was  the  Twenty-first  Infantry.  Samuel  Merrill,  of 
McGregor,  was  the  colonel  of  this  regiment  and  aided  largely  in  its 
enlistment.  Companies  B,  D  and  G,  Captains  William  D.  Crooke, 
Elisha  Boardman  and  W.  A.  Benton,  were  almost  entirely  made  up  of 
men  from  this  county.  All  of  this  regiment  came  from  northeastern 
Iowa.  It  was  organized  at  Dubuque  in  August,  1862,  and  went  into 
camp  at  RoUa,  Missouri,  in  September,  There  was  much  delay  in 
securing  proper  equipment  and  it  was  not  until  1863  that  it  saw  its  first 
battle.  This  was  at  Hartville  where,  under  Colonel  Merrill,  it  was 
engaged  against  five  times  its  number,  under  Generals  Marmaduke  and 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — AT    THE    FRONT  161 

McDonald.  This  was  a  drawn  battle,  the  Union  force  being  obliged  to 
retire  when  its  ammunition  was  exhausted.  For  its  gallantry  this  regi- 
ment was  highly  commended  by  General  Warren.  It  was  in  this  cam- 
paign that  Colonel  Merrill  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Black  River 
Bridge.  He  returned  to  McGregor  where  he  remained  a  few  months 
when,  upon  recovery  from  his  wounds,  he  returned  to  his  regiment. 
The  Twenty-first  did  hard  work  in  southwest  Missouri  and  fought  its 
way  across  Arkansas  into  Louisiana  and  Mississippi.  It  received 
honorable  mention  for  its  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Gibson  and  then 
took  its  place  with  Grant's  army  before  Vicksburg.  It  was  with  John- 
son in  the  campaign  following  the  fall  of  Vicksburg  and  was  then 
transferred  to  Texas  where  it  remained  for  six  months.  It  was  con- 
spicuous for  its  bravery  in  the  operations  leading  to  the  capture  of 
Mobile  and  was  not  mustered  out  until  1866. 

Tzventy-first  Infantry — Colonel  Samuel  Merrill,  Sergeant  William 
A.  Hyde,  Chaplain  Samuel  P.  Sloan.  Company  B,  Captain  William 
S.  Crooke,  First  Lieutenant  Charles  P.  Heath,  Sergeants  Barney  W. 
Phelps,  William  W.  Lyons,  Norman  W.  Scofield,  David  Drummond, 
Edwin  M.  Clark,  Corporals  Daniel  G.  Eldridge,  Williard  Adams,  Perry 
C.  Dewey,  James  J.  Scoville,  Jabez  S.  Rogers,  David  J.  Maxson,  Henry 
Chiles,  Musician  Seinore  Chipman,  Wagoner  George  A.  Smith, 
Privates  William  H.  Appleton,  William  H.  Alloway,  James  Adams,  E. 
Warren  Bramen,  William  C.  Boynton,  Mason  D.  Bettys,  John  George 
Baade,  James  Bethard,  Frederick  Barnes,  George  Crook,  Henry  C. 
Carrier,  John  J.  Carpenter,  W.  H.  Casey,  Alonzo  Cole,  John  S.  Crop, 
James  R.  Chiles,  George  S.  Crock,  Milo  Dalton,  George  T.  Dunn,  Lewis 
Eno,  James  Farrand,  Orion  S.  Follion,  John  S.  Farrand,  George 
Goodwin,  Theophilus  Gerard,  John  Grutchek,  Corydon  Hewett,  Wil- 
liam S.  Hall,  Herbert  T.  Hallack,  John  S.  Hilton,  Charles  B.  Hinds, 
Alfred  E.  Hall,  William  T.  Hayes,  Albert  Jones,  Myron  E.  Knight, 
Othmar  Kepler,  Hiram  Libby,  George  W.  Loomis,  John  H.  Mathers, 
John  W.  Moore.  Jerry  Malony,  John  E.  Martin,  Christian  S.  Maxson, 
John  Meyer,  Alvian  Merrian,  Dewitt  Noble,  Benjamin  F.  Odell,  Calvin 
Penny,  Will  Perkins,  John  Presho,  Robert  J.  Poole,  George  A.  Purdy, 
Charles  Preschl,  Elisha  R.  Roberts,  Will  Robbins,  Charles  H.  Robbins, 
James  M.  Rice,  John  Rogman,  Chris  C.  Scoville,  Gleason  Stringham, 
David  W.  Schuck,  Abram  Tredwell,  Horace  P.  Talcott,  Edson  D. 
Townsend.  Jehiel  G.  Warmer,  Darwin  Whipple,  David  L.  Watkins, 
David  B.  Wing,  Carrol  E.  Whitman,  Richard  Wright,  Charles  Reeves. 
Additional  enlistment,  Andrew  Hughes.  Company  D,  Captain  Elisha 
Boardman,  First  Lieutenant  Will  Grannis,  Second  Lieutenant  Homer 
Butler,  Sergeants  Gilbert  Cooley,  William  W.  Powell,  James  W. 
Harding,  Solomon  Bush,  David  Jewell,  Corporals  Samuel  W.  Moore, 
R.  M.  Cunningham,  Joseph  A.  Hewlet,  Eber  Golden,  Truman  W. 
Hazelton,  Charles  H.  Paize,  Lewellen  A.  Mahoney,  Ebenezer  Still, 
Musicians  J.  K.  P.  Thompson,  F.  M.  Thompson,  Wagoner  John  W. 
Lowe,  Privates — Rule  Aldrich.  Samuel  Abernethy,  Ottis  Allen,  Wil- 
liam J.  Abernathy,  John  Burdine,  William  S.  Brown,  William  Berg, 
Harrison  Bishop,  Joseph  W.  Baker,  Ira  Coal,  Ira  Chapman,  George 
W.  Chapman,  Aaron  Connor,  James  N.  Curtis,  Thomas  Cooper, 
Gunder  Engebertson,  Horace  Ferrington,  Alonzo  W.  Feller,  William 


l62  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

H.  Fobes,  William  Garretson,  Duane  D.  Grannis,  Byron  M.  Grannis, 
Thomas  Greyson,  William  Gaylord,  George  Goodnough,  Jacob 
Gunther,  Hiram  S.  Hysham,  William  Hood,  Patrick  Hanbley,  Thomas 
Hays,  Jacob  Haindel,  John  T.  Hopp,  Asa  Haskins,  Ripley  A.  Hale, 
John  Jeelings,  S.  H.  Knickerbocker,  Harvey  H.  King,  Charles  Kim- 
berg,  Thomas  J.  Larkin,  George  H.  Lawrence,  Robert  Leitch,  Will 
Monlux,  Robert  McKitrick,  Hugh  McCafferty,  Augustus  J.  Paarch, 
William  Parker,  John  C.  Pool,  Ewick  Paulsen,  C.  W.  Richardson, 
David  H.  Robison,  Emerson  Reed,  August  A.  Renwich,  Jehiel  Rowley, 
John  J.  Robinson,  Thomas  J.  Rice,  Enos  Russell,  Francis  B.  Ruff, 
Asa  Smith,  Erasmus  D.  Stockton,  Edward  B.  Snedigar,  Martin 
Stearns,  Joseph  Stahl,  John  W.  Stahl,  Jacob  Stemgrinson,  Mortimer 
Strunk,  William  H.  Southworth,  James  H.  Stockwell,  Edward  Smith, 
Avery  R.  Thurber,  George  Thinkham,  Justin  W.  Thurber,  Martin  V. 
Truman,  John  M.  White,  Jacob  White,  John  Whalon,  George  Wiltse. 
Additional  enlistments,  Abel  Allen,  Joseph  N.  Allen,  William  A. 
Hamer,  Andrew  Hesner,  Sears  T.  Richard,  John  Valekat,  Bradford 
T.  Weeks,  John  A.  Woldridge.  Company  G,  Captain  Willard  A. 
Benton,  First  Lieutenant  John  Dolson,  Second  Lieutenant  John  S. 
Craig,  Sergeants  Timothy  M.  Hopkins,  William  H.  Spangler,  Archi- 
bold  H.  Stewart,  Tylor  D.  Fetheroy,  William  H,  Farrin,  Corporals 
Jacob  N.  Sharp,  Frederick  Richardson,  Thomas  Dolson,  James  P. 
Witherow,  Francis  Palmer,  Linus  P.  McKinnie,  Edward  J.  Patterson, 
WilHam  M.  Warn,  Musicians  George  H.  Moore,  H.  C.  Spangler, 
Wagoner  Philander  N.  Drake,  Privates  John  Ano,  Hermann  Allart, 
Patrick  Burnes,  Jesse  Best,  William  C.  Barber,  Thomas  Busby,  Martin 
Bigler,  James  W.  Brown,  John  Birch,  John  V.  Carpenter,  Joseph 
Chantro,  Smith  Churnos,  John  B.  Comrant,  Cyrus  Craige,  Thomas 
W.  Daniels,  George  Dean,  Dan  Donahue,  William  C.  Dunn,  John  M. 
Field,  Jonathan  Foster,  William  Ferris,  William  Floners,  Herman 
Graybill,  O.  F.  Gatts,  William  H.  Griffith,  John  Guiselman,  Edward 
Goldsmith,  Gilbert  Gulbranson,  Francis  Henderson,  Peter  Holmes, 
Obed  Harrison,  Adam  Hart,  Cyrus  M.  Henderson,  John  J.  Jones,  Wil- 
liam Johns,  James  Johnson,  Thomas  Jones,  Chris  V.  Kelog,  John  Kain, 
Andrew  Lawrence,  Henry  T.  Lewis,  Maple  Moody,  Edward  Murray, 
Marius  Matturgley,  Peter  McAntire,  C.  S.  Nelson,  Robert  M.  Pettis, 
William  W.  Parker,  Robert  Pitt,  George  W.  Penhollow,  David  Ryner, 
Nelson  K.  Reynolds,  James  Ryner,  Isaac  Ray,  William  S.  Reed,  Oliver 
C.  Schull,  Henry  Shaw,  William  W.  Smith,  Joseph  Tucker,  Andrew 
Wick,  Samuel  Witherow,  L.  P.  Walker,  Edward  T.  Warn,  William 
Welch,  Lewis  J.  Wolfe,  Andrew  J.  Wolfe,  Charles  W.  Wilson,  George 
J.  White.  Subsequent  enlistments,  John  Beavers,  George  Robisch, 
Francis  Washburne,  Ransom  S.  Wheeler;  unassigned,  Andrew  Han- 
ner,  Henry  Stringham,  Robert  Valekat, 

In  Company  F  was  Private  Andrew  Hannah,  and  in  Company  H, 
Privates  Henry  Cassell,  William  Cassell  and  Thomas  C.  Dodd,  Wil- 
liam D.  Crooke,  captain  Company  B,  was  promoted  major;  George 
Crooke,  private  to  adjutant;  W.  W.  Lyons,  sergeant  to  captain  Com- 
pany B ;  Abram  Tredwell,  private  to  first  lieutenant  Company  B ; 
David  Drummond,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant  Company  B ;  Gilbert 
Cooley,  sergeant  to   second  lieutenant  Company  D;  John  S.  Craig, 


WAR    HISTORY 1861-1865 — AT   THE   FRONT  163 

second  lieutenant  to  captain  Company  G;  Frederick  Richardson,  cor- 
poral to  second  lieutenant. 

Twenty-seventh  Infantry — The  Twenty-seventh  Infantry  con- 
tained two  full  companies,  and  a  part  of  another,  from  this  county. 
D.  E.  Meyer  was  the  captain  of  Company  B,  being  succeeded  by  Silas 
Garber.  This  company  was  largely  recruited  from  the  vicinity  of 
Guttenberg.  Thomas  G.  Drips  was  the  captain  of  Company  G  and  he 
was  a  constant  contributor  to  the  McGregor  Times  throughout  the 
war.  The  Twenty-seventh  had  the  most  varied  experience  of  any  Iowa 
regiment.  It  was  first  sent  to  Minnesota  under  Major  General  Pope 
to  suppress  an  Indian  outbreak.  It  saw  no  active  service  here  as  the 
Indians  were  defeated  before  its  arrival.  The  regiment  was  trans- 
ferred to  Cairo,  Illinois,  and  was  then  taken  to  Memphis  where  it  was 
a  part  of  General  Sherman's  army.  It  served  with  this  great  general 
as  part  of  the  outer  guard  protecting  Grant  at  Vicksburg.  It  was  en- 
gaged in  many  skirmishes  and  did  valuable  duty  in  guarding  lines  of 
communication  and  preventing  rebel  attacks.  During  this  period  its 
headquarters  were  at  Jackson  and  at  Moscow,  Mississippi. 

It  is  related  of  this  regiment  that  it  was  saved  from  destruction 
by  two  women.  Guerillas  had  destroyed  a  railroad  bridge  across  which 
the  regiment  was  to  be  transported.  The  flames  had  been  extinguished 
and  the  skeleton  of  the  bridge  left  standing  so  that  the  train  might  be 
wrecked.  These  women  saw  the  danger  and,  alone  and  unprotected, 
walked  ten  miles  along  the  track  and  with  waving  lanterns  signalled 
the  engineer  and  the  train  was  stopped  in  time. 

In  August,  1863,  the  regiment  took  part  in  the  expedition  against 
Little  Rock  and  then  went  into  quarters  at  Memphis.  In  1864  the 
regiment  was  transported  to  Vicksburg  and  was  with  Sherman  in  the 
raid  on  Meridian.  It  was  next  with  General  Banks  in  the  unfortunate 
Red  River  expedition  and  then  campaigned  both  in  Mississippi  and 
Missouri.  Following  this,  it  encamped  in  Tennessee  where,  under 
General  Smith,  it  was  part  of  the  army  operating  against  Hood.  It 
achieved  distinction  at  the  battle  of  Nashville  and  Colonel  Gilbert  was 
promoted  brigadier  general  for  his  gallantry  in  this  battle.  The  regi- 
ment joined  in  the  pursuit  of  Hood  and  afterwards  went  into  camp  at 
Eastport.  February  9,  1865,  it  was  transported  down  the  river  to 
New  Orleans,  went  into  camp  at  Chalmette  and  was  then  shipped  to 
Dauphin  Island,  Alabama,  where  it  took  part  in  the  capture  of  Mobile. 
The  regiment  was  mustered  out  in  Clinton,  Iowa,  in  August,  1865, 
having  fought  many  times  and  traveled  more  than  12,000  miles. 

Twenty-seventh  Infantry — Company  D,  Captain  Dan  L.  E,  Meyer, 
First  Lieutenant  Silas  Garber,  Second  Lieutenant  John  Anderegg, 
Sergeants  Alexander  Bliedung,  Charles  Siedow,  Charles  Schecker, 
Charles  Eringman,  George  L.  Dang,  Corporals  Anthony  Boechtel, 
Daniel  Fritz,  Joseph  Garber,  Frederick  Bergmann,  John  Boos,  John 
Hirschbueler,  John  F.  Benjegerdes,  Edward  Prior,  Musicians  Hugo 
Atfeld,  Edward  Rechow,  Wagoner  Samuel  Sargeant,  Privates  Hugh 
Achord,  Michael  Adrian,  John  Ahrend,  David  Bagbe,  Thomas  H. 
Bagbe,  Cornelius  W.  Baxter,  George  Beck,  Frank  Backman,  John 
Beilharz,  Michael  Berst,  Jabez  D.  Beyer,  John  P.  Byers,  Heinrich 
Bremer,  Diedrich  Buchholz,  Wilhelm  i3uck,  John  Boar,  Herman  H. 


164  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Droge,  Frederick  Duwe,  Joseph  Ess,  John  Fitch,  James  G.  Fleming, 
Frederick  Franke,  Nicholaus  Friedlein,  Joseph  S.  Garber,  Hezekiah 
Garber,  Martin  Garber,  Frederick  Gerbsch,  Nicholas  Hauch,  Henry 
Heiller,  William  Heiller,  William  Heine,  Charles  Hennrich,  John  N. 
Heinz,  John  D.  Heyer,  Charles  Hocke,  August  Kottke,  Henry  Kuhl- 
mann,  Harvey  Lewis,  Benjamin  C.  Lockridge,  Daniel  P.  Lockridge, 
John  Lemcke,  August  Mouch,  Theodore  Moeller,  Herman  H.  Holler- 
ing, Irving  McDonald,  Franklin  McMonigal,  Anton  Neubaeur,  John 
H.  Neiter,  Christopher  Oelkers,  Francis  A.  Otis,  George  Rheinhardt, 
William  Rizer,  Frederick  Roggman,  Frederick  Saugling,  Ferdinand 
Sauter,  Frederick  Sass,  John  Schimek,  Gerhardt  Schalke,  Henry 
Schalke,  Henry  ^chorg,  Charles  Schaefar,  Frederick  Schulmatin, 
Christopher  Seeman,  Ludwig  Stoeffler,  John  Tavis,  Frank  Thayer, 
Mitchell  Thein,  Peter  Thein,  C.  Louis  Vonberg,  Henry  Waterman, 
Peter  Wendel,  Frederick  Winch,  John  Wolf.  Additional  enlistments, 
Hugh  W.  Andrews,  Hiram  L.  Cooper,  Thomas  Gordon,  John  Hanne- 
man,  William  Montgomery,  John  S.  Seimer,  John  Scharwath,  Charles 
Rademacher,  Martin  Newman,  August  Parno,  Robert  F.  Smith,  Aaron 
Sanson,  Perry  C.  Sprague,  Gottfried  Seeman,  Peter  Thein.  Company 
E,  Captain  Thomas  G.  Drips,  First  Lieutenant  T.  Allen  Olmstead, 
Second  Lieutenant  Samuel  Benjamin,  Sergeants  Garner  C.  Williams, 
John  Everall,  Phillip  Schaller,  James  M.  Fonda,  William  M.  Allyn, 
Corporals  James  C.  Port,  Levi  R.  King,  Freedom  Jones,  William  H. 
Neelings,  James  L.  Massey,  John  Brooker,  James  B.  King,  Lawrence 
C.  Failey,  Musician  Ralph  L.  Knight,  Wagoner  Harry  PL  Hudson, 
Privates  Enoch  Allen,  Silas  W.  Angier,  Richard  P.  Arble,  Hiram  Ash- 
line,  Edward  Ashline,  William  Ashline,  George  Ashline,  Daniel  Bartke, 
George  Beardsley,  Henry  Bender,  John  G.  Benson,  Patrick  Breene, 
Joseph  F.  Bretz,  Truman  N.  Brourson,  George  Brooker,  Augustus 
Baurette,  Warran  Cassaday,  Peter  S.  Cooley,  William  S.  Cosier, 
Edmon  F.  Grain,  Charles  Dames,  Jr.,  George  Filmore,  Adam  Fisher, 
Francis  M.  Ganow,  William  H.  Green,  Patton  Hamilton,  Morrison  M. 
Hancock,  Isaac  S.  Hanna,  Oley  Herman,  David  S.  Hill,  Henry  Hines, 
Dexter  H.  Hutchins,  Webster  Jones,  Charles  D.  Kicherer,  J.  Milton 
Leach,  Jacob  Leamen,  John  W.  Lee,  Runyon  C.  Lewis,  Frederick 
Linger,  Samuel  K.  Mackey,  John  H.  Mann,  William  J.  McAlpine, 
James  McGrady,  Albert  Mead,  John  Miller,  Silas  A.  Miller,  James 
Morton,  Daniel  Neelings,  James  N.  Neeling,  Augustus  L.  Payne, 
Daniel  U.  Policy,  James  Ramkin,  Charles  H.  Read,  Frederick  W. 
Reinke,  Andrew  Ryder,  James  M.  Reiley,  Joel  Roe,  Robert  H.  Scarf, 
Edgar  J.  Selleg,  Jacob  Smith,  Jonathan  Smith,  George  Storck,  Charles 
Stratton,  Charles  Schultz,  Arza  H.  Tyler,  Samuel  M.  VanZandt,  Hiram 
H.  Wallace,  Hiram  Wilcock,  George  M.  Wilkie,  Charles  Wilkins, 
Henry  N.  Zachariah.  Additional  enlistments,  James  Baldwin,  Joseph 
H.  Bell,  Peter  Bush,  Alonzo  U.  Bradley,  John  Burke,  Christian  Behens, 
William  H.  Dickman,  Nichol  W.  Ellis,  Daniel  E.  Fox,  Harvey  J. 
Green,  John  S.  Goslin.  Nelson  H.  Goslin,  James  A.  Henderson,  John  W. 
Hudson,  George  W.  Hudson,  William  Kohn,  John  D.  Meyer,  Henry 
Mohlstedt,  Cornelius  Morgan,  John  A.  Schroeder,  Charles  A.  Shaw, 
Lorenzo  W.  Stevenson,  Joseph  K.  Shaw,  Paul  Trumballe,  William 
Keyler,  Henry  Wallerser.     Company  I,  Second  Lieutenant  John  E. 


WAR    HISTORY 1861-1865 — AT   THE   FRONT  165 

Peck,  Sergeant  Peter  G.  McNamara,  Corporal  Thimothy  O'Brien, 
Musician  Francis  S.  Barrs,  Privates  Thomas  Burns,  William  Shalk, 
James  Daley,  Daniel  M.  Fay,  James  Fitzpatrick,  Leonard  Haskill, 
Michael  Hinchey,  Patrick  Hailey,  James  Kelley,  Lorin  Mason,  Paul 
Margrave,  Thomas  Redden,  James  Smith,  Gilbert  Stickney,  Lafayette 
W.  Scott,  George  C.  Wood.  Additional  enlistments,  Frank  Behnke, 
Charles  Knodt,  Henry  L.  Lewis,  Lewis  Lewis,  Peter  Lewis,  Daniel 
McCallun,  Andrew  O'Neil,  Lorenzo  Poesch,  John  Reardan,  John 
Schmidt,  John  Schoepf. 

Company  A  contained  Private  Elijah  Perry;  Company  B,  Cor- 
poral Lucius  Dickens  and  Privates  James  Dodson,  Henry  P.  Harding 
and  J.  W.  Dickens ;  Company  C,  Private  George  W.  Proctor ;  Com- 
pany G,  John  Crane,  Briggs  Mosgrove  and  Joseph  Tinker;  Company 
K,  Private  Isiah  Williams.  Silas  Garber,  first  lieutenant,  Company  D, 
was  promoted  captain ;  Alex.  Bliedug,  sergeant  to  first  lieutenant ; 
Charles  Sidon,  sergeant  to  second  lieutenant ;  T.  Allen  Olmstead,  first 
lieutenant  to  captain.  Company  E ;  Garner  C.  Williams,  sergeant  to 
first  lieutenant;  Dexter  H.  Hutchins,  private  to  second  lieutenant; 
John  E.  Peck,  second  lieutenant  to  first  lieutenant.  Company  L 

First  Cavalry — Company  K  of  the  First  Cavalry  was  organized 
by  Robert  L.  Freeman  who  became  its  captain.  The  company  was 
first  known  as  the  "McGregor  Rangers,"  and  it  was  the  first  cavalry 
troop  organized  in  Iowa.  For  some  reason  there  was  delay  in  its 
acceptance  into  the  service  but  it  was  finally  admitted,  as  Company  K. 
This  regiment  served  entirely  on  the  west  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  its 
colonel  was  Fitz  Henry  Warren.  In  October,  1861,  it  went  into  camp 
at  Benton  barracks,  Missouri,  1200  strong.  The  first  and  second 
battalions  operated  that  winter  in  Missouri  engaged  in  warfare  with 
guerilla  bands.  The  third  battalion  remained  at  Benton.  In  March, 
1862,  the  entire  regiment  concentrated  at  Sedalia,  Missouri,  and  was 
employed  in  outpost  duty.  In  December  it  made  a  successful  dash 
upon  Confederate  stores  located  at  Van  Buren,  Arkansas,  and  seized 
supplies  valued  at  $3Cxd,ooo. 

In  April,  1863,  it  participated  in  the  successful  campaign  against 
Pilot  Knob  and  in  the  same  year  it  was  with  General  Steele  in  the 
expedition  again  Little  Rock.  It  was  reorganized  as  a  veteran  regiment 
in  April,  1864,  and  was  employed  in  scouting  service  and  was  with 
General  Rosecrans  in  the  campaign  which  resulted  in  freeing  Missouri 
from  the  rebels.  It  served  in  the  vicinity  of  Little  Rock  until  the  close 
of  the  war  and  was  then  employed  for  several  months  on  guard  duty  in 
Louisiana  and  in  Texas.  This  regiment  was  longest  in  the  service  of 
any  Iowa  cavalry  regiment. 

First  Cavalry — Company  K,  Captain  Robert  L.  Freeman,  Hiram 
H.  Sowles,  William  H.  Muzzy,  James  H.  Lyons,  Charles  F.  Keeler, 
George  E.  Dayton,  Charles  Dubois,  Corporals  Seth  Martin,  Oscar 
Moore,  William  Tinkham,  Solomon  Goodrich,  Buglers  Lewis  Keen, 
Joseph  Stone,  Charles  Carrier,  Wagoner  John  Isreal,  Privates  Charles 
Atwood,  Loyal  Ballou,  William  Bowers,  Andris  Brant,  James  Bolton, 
John  Border,  Christian  F.  Beyer,  Edward  G.  Briker,  Oscar  Crumb, 
Peter  Chambers,  John  B.  Christ,  Henry  Clark,  Erdik  S.  Eastman, 
Albert  A.  Fairchild,  John  Gaytas,  Archibald  Green,  Edward  Harman, 


l66  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

William  Q.  Howorth,  John  L.  Howorth,  Jason  W.  Kinsley,  William 
H.  Kelley,  Albert  R.  Lyon,  James  R.  McGeorge,  Archibald  McArthur, 
Erastus  Morgan,  Vincent  Orcutt,  Daniel  C.  Oswauld,  Oscar  Powers, 
Charles  T.  Prescott,  John  L.  Paxson,  John  S.  Post,  Samuel  Stephen- 
son, Samuel  Stillons,  William  H.  Saucer,  John  W.  Sylvester,  Edward 
Sliter,  Joal  Smith,  John  Shelly,  James  Shipper,  William  H.  Walker, 
James  Whitford,  Samuel  Wright.  Additional  enlistments,  Orson 
Trowbridge,  Palmer  Dobson,  Benjamin  A.  Fay,  Thomas  Hartin,  Henry 
M.  Jones,  Mitchell  Casey,  George  W.  D.  Eastman,  Elijah  G.  Preston, 
Jason  W.  Hinsley,  Nicholas  Swingle,  Even  W.  Williams,  George  Oat- 
hout,  Orion  A.  Phillips,  George  W.  Smith,  Joseph  Warner,  Alfred 
Wells,  Henry  P.  Brooks,  Samuel  J.  Fry,  Edward  Reynolds,  John 
Peters,  Hans  E.  Schoolrud.  Unassigned,  Charles  G.  P.  Meyers, 
Andrew  W.  Benn,  Henry  C.  Crandall,  Marion  Elsworth,  Daniel  M. 
Fay,  John  B.  Hawkins  John  D.  Ingar,  John  Kellar,  William  H. 
Massay,  Edward  Noa,  Victor  Burnham,  Charles  Cox,  Christian  Cook, 
Robert  Efinger,  Samuel  Hotinger,  Henry  Hotinger,  Samuel  Johnson, 
Isaac  Martin,  Joseph  McCorkel,  James  Ousley,  Michael  O'Riley, 
Erasmus  D.  Ryan,  Luther  N.  Smith,  Don  Tremain,  Martin  Varley, 
Nicholas  Witzel,  William  Ward,  Nelson  Roberts,  Lewis  Richstinn, 
David  O.  Shoemaker,  Silas  C.  Truman,  John  O.  Walker,  John  C.  West. 
Veterans,  Company  F,  Private  Warren  H.  Clark;  Company  K,  Cap- 
tain Robert  L.  Freeman,  Second  Lieutenant  Charles  F.  Keeler, 
Sergeant  Charles  Dubois,  Corporal  Benjamin  A.  Fay,  Privates  William 
P.  Bowers,  John  Border,  John  Gaytas,  John  L.  Howorth,  Thomas 
Hartin,  Henry  M.  Jones,  John  G.  Kidder,  George  Lewis,  Erastus 
Morgan,  Oscar  Moore,  George  Oathout,  Orin  A.  Phillips,  Edward 
Reynolds,  Benjamin  Rathburne,  Edward  Sliter,  George  W.  Smith, 
John  N.  Truman,  Harrison  Wolf,  William  H.  Walker,  Samuel  Wright, 
W.  H.  H.  Gififord. 

In  Company  L  were  Sergeant  Henry  B.  Quick,  Corporal  Christian 
F.  Beyer,  and  Privates  Stephen  P.  Carnahan,  George  Hellman,  Wil- 
liam Martin,  Zebulon  Morris,  Nicholas  Morris,  John  L.  Quick,  Clark 
I.  Sherwood,  Nat  W.  Weliver  and  John  W.  Sylvester.  In  Company 
K  promotions  were  made  as  follows :  William  H.  Muzzy,  quarter- 
master sergeant  to  quartermaster  of  Third  Battalion ;  John  L.  Paxson, 
private  to  quartermaster  sergeant;  Charles  DuBois,  fifth  sergeant  to 
second  lieutenant;  George  E.  Dayton,  fourth  sergeant  to  first 
lieutenant,  Company  C,  Sixth  Cavalry. 

Sixth  Cavalry — The  Sixth  Cavalry  was  organized  during  the  dark 
days  of  1862.  Company  L,  under  Captain  Aaron  Ames,  was  largely 
recruited  from  this  county.  Believing  that  the  United  States  was 
fully  occupied,  Indian  tribes  in  the  west  became  hostile  and  it  was 
found  necessary  to  send  troops  to  quell  them.  It  was  this  duty  which 
fell  largely  upon  the  Sixth  Cavalry.  Organizing  at  Davenport,  the 
regiment  was  sent  to  Sioux  City  and  from  thence  pushed  out  onto  the 
plains.  At  White  Stone  Hills  a  decisive  battle  was  fought  in  which 
a  large  number  of  Indians  were  killed  or  wounded.  The  regiment 
built  Fort  Sully,  300  miles  northwest  of  Sioux  City  and  remained 
there,  until  the  summer  of  1864,  when  there  w^as  another  Indian  upris- 
ing.   The  regiment  was  sent  against  these  Indians  in  a  campaign  along 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1S65 — AT   THE    FRONT  167 

the  upper  Missouri.  The  following  winter  was  spent  in  garrison 
duty  at  western  forts  and  the  regiment  was  mustered  out  October 
17,  1865,  at  Sioux  City. 

Sixth  Cavalry — Company  L,  Captain  Aaron  S.  Ames,  First 
Lieutenant  Hiram  A.  Park,  Quartermaster  Sergeant  Alexander  R. 
Fuller,  Sergeants  S.  Harson  Woodward,  John  C.  Wailing,  John  Par- 
rin,  Thomas  J.  Scott,  Benjamin  Woolstencroft,  Corporals  Joseph  H. 
Drips,  Milo  D.  Watkins,  John  H.  Burhans,  Alfred  Murphy,  Daniel  H. 
Sauyer,  Edward  Morse,  Samuel  B.  Robinson,  William  Hall,  Teamsters 
Boyl  Martin,  William  Everton,  Farriers  William  H.  Wilder,  David  J 

Flinn,  Saddler  James  McGuire,  Wagoner  George  L.  Moore,  Privates  | 

Lewis  Arnold,  Joseph  Bayles,  Henry  Barnhardt,  Ruben  C.  Baker, 
Henry  Brandus,  August  Brandus,  George  Bennet,  Orange  S.  Bosgue, 
Lewis  Buckholtz,  Henry  T.  Clark,  Robert  Carty,  Rinaldo  Craig, 
Chauncey  S.  Cook,  Fayette  W.  Caldell,  George  Derendurfer,  Jeptha 
Duling,  Charles  W.  Deming,  Austin  F.  Depre,  Richard  Dodson,  Wi' 
liam  Dowe,  Chauncy  J.  Foster,  Prescott  E.  Grant,  George  Grannis,  ! 
Bertsell  Gothum,  Anton  Glazer,  James  Hunt,  Dewitt  C.  Hallock, 
Thomas  Halley,  Francis  M.  Harrold,  Albert  Howland,  James  Hazlitt, 
Casper  Hoffman,  Jacob  A.  Eighty,  Charles  Lamphere,  Joseph  H. 
Lehmcule,  Ruben  Mickle,  Henry  Mosley,  Peter  McNamara,  John 
Pettit,  Ira  G.  Preston,  Hugh  Ryan,  James  F.  Riley,  Caleb  K.  Smith, 
Horace  D.  Stickney,  Theodore  Sherman,  Julius  Schontag,  Milton 
Spencer,  Fred  Schoneman,  Earstus  Tompkins,  Charles  Tahlstrom, 
Thomas  B.  Walker,  B.  A.  Woolstoncroft,  Carl  Wehler,  John  Widoo. 
Additional  enlistments,  W.  W.  Brisbee,  Robert  Carty,  James  Havens, 
William  McCanna,  Thomas  D.  Wynee,  William  J.  Kirk,  Timothy  Sul- 
livan, James  Centell,  Newton  F.  Phillips,  George  W.  Doty.  Thomas 
Kelley,  John  Hill,  Edward  French,  Dennis  Leary,  James  Workman, 
Robert  J.  Presho,  John  S.  Woolstencraft,  Ed  T.  Cross,  Dennis  Leary, 
Joal  G.  Frink,  William  F.  Murphy. 

In  Company  A  was  Corporal  Alex  T.  Gilmore ;  Company  C,  First 
Lieutenant  George  E.  Dayton,  Corporal  Orrin  Freeman  and  Privates 
Avery  Clark,  William  W.  Freeman  and  Rufus  L.  King;  Company  G, 
Sergeant  John  W.  Wright  and  Privates  Charles  H.  Franks,  David  R. 
Foster,  George  M.  Johnson  and  Henry  Kaufman ;  Company  H, 
Privates  John  Frazer,  George  Hungerman,  Joseph  Keeber,  Joseph 
Kaiser,  Frederick  Mueller,  Conrad  Peiker,  Henry  Schander  and  Wil- 
liam Schutters ;  Company  I,  Corporal  Samuel  Randall  and  Private 
James  A.  Hayes.  Joseph  Baylis  was  promoted  from  private,  Company 
L,  to  veterinary  surgeon  of  the  regiment ;  Alex  R.  Fuller  was  promoted 
from  quartermaster  sergeant  Company  L,  to  second  lieutenant. 

Seventh  Cavalry — This  regiment  was  organized  from  companies 
which  had  been  first  assigned  to  other  organizations.  It  contained 
about  forty  volunteers  from  Clayton  county.  It  was  another  regiment 
of  Indian  fighters  and  performed  important  service  in  garrison  duty 
and  in  protecting  wagon  trains  of  emigrants.  Its  fiercest  battle  was 
fought  at  Julesburg,  Colorado.  The  regiment  was  mustered  out  in 
1866. 

Seventh  Cavalry — Company  F,  Second  Lieutenant  Michael 
Towers,   Corporals   Edward   McMahon,   Homer  T.   Foster,   Privates 


l68  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

William  Boyce,  George  J.  Benett,  Charles  Contell,  William  H.  Grey, 
Milo  Lacy,  J.  W.  Rounds.  Company  K,  Privates  LeRoy  Butts,  John 
H.  Carr,  Henry  Dimond,  Herman  Kuehlman,  Swart  Larson,  Har- 
rison Micklee,  John  Mackle,  James  McNamara,  Otis  Trusdell,  Adam 
Vallence.  Company  L,  William  Anderson,  John  H.  Bishop,  Oscar 
Collins,  Henry  Call,  John  Denning,  Francis  H.  Dayton,  Samuel  A. 
Gregg,  August  Gropp,  Charles  D.  Hubbard,  George  C.  Jones,  Jacob 
Meires,  Alexander  Moody,  William  Mickley,  John  F.  Schoenmacker, 
John  P.  Thompson,  John  Valentine,  Milton  Weaver.  Unassigned,  Orvil 
N.  Buck,  John  Juty,  Walter  Telcot.  John  F.  Schoemaker  was  pro- 
moted from  private  to  second  lieutenant.  Company  L. 

Eighth  Cavalry — Twenty-six  men  from  Clayton  county  were  on 
the  roll  of  the  Eighth  Cavalry,  under  Colonel  George  B.  Door.  The 
regiment  was  mustered  in  September  30,  1863,  and  was  assigned  to 
duty  in  Tennessee.  Following  the  usual  army  tactics,  this  regiment 
was  employed  chiefly  in  skirmishing  and  in  holding  districts  taken 
from  the  enemy.  This  was  dangerous  work  and  involved  almost  con- 
tinuous fighting.  In  July  1864,  nearly  the  entire  regiment  was 
captured.  It  was  soon  exchanged,  however,  and  took  part  in  the  cam- 
paigns at  Nashville  and  at  Atlanta  and  was  in  the  Croxton  raid.  Avalo 
J.  Price  was  a  major  in  this  regiment  and  died  at  the  front.  The  regi- 
ment was  mustered  out  in  June  1865. 

Eighth  Cavalry — Major  Avalo  J.  Price.  Company  I,  Second 
Lieutenant  Andrew  F.  Tipton,  Sergeants  Washburne  A.  Stow,  Richard 
W.  Brown,  Corporals  William  C.  Waggoner,  Saveron  W.  Burdick, 
Privates  James  A.  Adams,  George  W,  Allman,  Jacob  Bitters,  Bersee 
J.  Best,  William  W.  Chiles,  Will  Haiden,  Daniel  W.  Johnson,  Daniel 
Mitchell,  Perry  Millholen,  John  Monlux,  George  Monlux,  James  W. 
Parman,  Alexander  Rice,  Henry  Ray,  William  Satterlee,  Charles 
Schultz,  Samuel  P.  Shaw,  George  Watrous,  George  Williams,  John 
Welsh. 

Company  B  contained  Privates  Henry  Dow  and  Michael  Shindler ; 
Company  G,  Sergeant  Lyman  Newton  and  Farrier  Peter  Kobel; 
Company  unknown,  William  C.  Fuller. 

OTHER  REGIMENTS 

Second  Infantry — Company  B,  Private  John  Burnes.  Afterward 
John  B.  Craig  was  commissioned  as  first  lieutenant,  Company  F,  and 
William  F.  Hooper  as  second  lieutenant.  Company  I. 

Second  Veteran  Infantry — Company  A,  Privates  Joseph  L.  B. 
Bool,  James  McAfferty,  Richard  Stockdale  and  John  Schragge ;  Com- 
pany F,  First  Lieutenant  John  B.  Craig,  Sergeant  John  Leighty,  Cor- 
porals David  F.  Merritt,  William  C.  Hazen,  Jesse  Enders,  Simon  V. 
Davis,  and  Privates  Stephen  D.  Connoly,  Joseph  W.  Call,  Sylvanus 
Carmack,  Harmon  Drone,  Jacob  E.  Dowding,  Charles  C.  Goodale, 
William  H.  Hutchinson,  Sidney  W.  Irish,  Charles  H.  James,  Thomas 
McLoon,  George  W.  ]Madden,  Mathies  Schleier,  Henry  A.  Scott,  Adam 
F.  Their,  Daniel  J.  Van  Dycke  and  Jacob  Verhei ;  Company  G,  Private 
James  Shadle;  Company  I,  Second  Lieutenant  William  F.  Hooper. 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 — AT    THE    FRONT  169 

Fifth  Infantry — Company  K,  Private  John  A.  King. 

Sixth  Infantry — Company  C,  Private  George  H.  Ingrim. 

Thirteenth  Infantry — Company  A,  Private  John  P.  Hitsman ;  un- 
assigned,  Henry  Fisher,  William  Hughs,  William  HoUister,  Patrick 
Karney,  Andrew  Luney,  Conrad  Muller,  Samuel  Reeves  and  John  S. 
Severson. 

Fifteenth  Infantry — Privates  Charles  S.  Franklin  and  Thomas  C. 
Meagher. 

Sixteenth  Infantry — Company  G,  privates,  Frederick  Succow, 
August  Thompson,  and  Carl  Thompson ;  Company  H,  privates,  John 
Dalton,  Ozias  N.  Davis,  John  Fowler,  Lowry  M.  Garrison,  Stephen 
R.  Hastings,  Thomos  Haynes,  James  N.  Preston,  Milton  Spencer, 
Thomas  Stockdale,  Theodore  P.  Sunder  and  Newton  F.  Wooster. 

Thirty-Fourth  Infantry — Company  F,  private  Martin  Walters ; 
Company  G.  private  Edwin  H.  King;  Company  H,  privates  Andrew 
Larson,  Ambrose  Moats,  and  William  N.  Schmitt. 

Thirty-Seventh  Infantry — Company  K,  privates,  W^illiam  Fallow, 
James  House,  Justice  King,  Wm.  Paschal  and  Henry  Robins. 

Thirty-Eighth  Infantry — Company  A,  privates,  William  F.  Gray, 
Thomas  A.  Stoughton  and  Martin  Walters ;  Company  D,  Corporal, 
Burton  Adkins,  and  privates,  Nels  Christeman,  John  B.  Iverson  and 
Andrew  Larson;  Company  G,  privates,  H.  King,  David  G.  Roberts 
and  Daniel  E.  Seward ;  Company  H,  John  Donelson,  Ambrose  Moats 
and  Win.  N.  Schmitt,  and  Company  K,  private,  Gunder  Oleson. 

Forty-Fourth  Infantry — Company  A,  privates,  Trevarius  G. 
Price  and  Balthasar  Schlenker. 

Forty-Sixth  Infantry — Company  A,  private,  Leonidas  Peyton. 

Forty-Seventh  Infantry — Company  A,  First  Lieutenant,  Leon  H. 
Drake ;  Sergeant,  James  M.  Snedegar ;  Corporals,  Robert  Sherman, 
James  B.  Woodward  and  Hiram  Barnum,  and  privates,  Jeremiah 
Adams,  Charles  Belding,  Norman  Chastily,  James  D.  Chapman, 
Cornelius  Doty,  John  Griffin,  Jerome  L.  Lawrence,  David  Lowe, 
Pelamen  Marquise,  William  T.  Palmer,  Thomas  L  Piper,  Wilber  V. 
Partch,  Irwin  S.  Swan,  Silas  E.  Smith,  James  W.  Scott,  Elisha  C. 
Tinney,  George  W^  Tirsker,  and  Charles  M.  W'hitford. 

Forty-Eighth  Infantry — Surgeon,  John  A.  Blanchard ;  Company 
B,  private,  Peter  C.  Young. 

Second  Cavalry — Michael  O'Sullivan,  private.  Company  A; 
Francis  M.  Winters,  private,  Company  F;  Lewis  H.  Hathaway  and 
Eldridge  P.  Rice,  privates.  Company  I ;  Abel  G.  Newman,  John  L. 
Quick,  and  Overn  Quick,  privates.  Company  B ;  George  W.  Cadwell, 
Alpheus  Scott  and  William  Wade,  privates,  Company  L 

Fourth  Cavalry — Company  B,  privates,  Erastus  D.  Stockton,  Wm, 
Stewart,  George  True,  George  Mason  and  John  A.  Richards ;  Company 
G,  Franz  Gutsch,  Gillard  H.  Jones,  Fritz  Muller  and  Peter  Scharer ; 
Company  H,  John  S.  Putnam  and  William  W.  Rood ;  Company  I, 
Tollef  Knudson,  John  Curren,  Patrick  D.  McKane  and  Wm.  R. 
Sargeant ;  Company  L,  Joseph  M.  Williams  and  William  Hines. 

Fifth  Cavalry — Unassigned,  privates,  Charles  Wiederer ;  Com- 
pany C,  privates,  James  G.  Gilliland  and  George  M.  Johnson ;  Company 


170  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

E,  privates,  Marshall  Hatfield,  Christian  Martin  and  Andrew  Meisser ; 
Company  F,  private,  John  Jager, 

Ninth  Cavalry — Major,  Willis  Drummond;  Company  E,  private, 
David  G.  Wilson ;  Company  F,  Captain,  Benjamin  Contal,  Q.  M.  S., 
Moses  J.  Teeter ;  Sergeants,  Bennett  M.  Reese,  Joseph  H.  Wyman  and 
Thomas  Styles ;  Corporals,  Frank  J.  Williams  and  Daniel  W.  Culver, 
and  privates.  Otto  Kramer,  Wm.  Conden,  Reuben  H.  Griffin,  Hiram 
M.  C.  Luce,  John  Lawton,  Edward  Perry,  Patrick  Pennington, 
Benjamin  F.  Severance,  Robert  H.  Scarff,  Emil  Shottle,  Jacob  W. 
Schuck  and  Jacob  Wissensea. 

First  Battery — Privates,  Alexander  Gatlord  and  William  R. 
Leebert. 

Third  Battery — Privates,  Freedom  Jackson  and  Elonzo  H.  Winn. 

Fourth  Battery — Privates,  Daniel  T.  Fagan  and  Elnathan  P.  Luke. 

Engineer  Regiment  of  the  West — Company  F,  Artificers,  John 
Flaherty  and  George  W.  Wilson ;  Company  I,  Sergeants,  Stephen  H. 
West  and  Alva  R.  Prescott ;  Corporals,  Solomon  Goodrich  and  John  A. 
Rhea ;  Artificers,  Sylvester  Baker,  James  E.  Banks,  Eli  Cole,  Charles 
H.  Dakin,  George  W.  Fay,  Cornelius  O'Flaherty,  and  privates,  Daniel 
Collins,  Peter  Conroy,  Homer  C.  Cook,  George  L.  Gilbert,  Robert  B. 
Kennedy,  Martin  Klingman,  Richard  McNallay,  Calvin  Newton, 
Henry  Odle  and  Thomas  C.  Steward. 

Fifteenth  Missouri  Infantry — Company  K,  Sergeant,  Peter 
Karberg ;  Corporal,  Alois  Ehrensperger ;  Musician,  Frederick  Beck ; 
Wagoner,  Philip  Dock,  and  privates.  Christian  Dorweiler,  Paul 
Dorweiler,  Sebastian  Eckart,  Charles  Erhardt,  Benedict  Gissinger, 
Wm.  Halberkan,  Mathaus  Kaiser,  John  Moses,  Lucas  Moser, 
Nicholaus  Peschang,  Henry  Ribbe,  John  H.  Schmidt,  Joseph  Slatel, 
Herman  Startemeyer  and  Max  Ziegelmaier. 

Third  Missouri  Cavalry — Company  F,  Captain,  James  Call ;  Com- 
pany G,  private,  Benjamin  W.  Gaylord. 

Fourth  Missouri  Cavalry  —  Company  F,  Musician,  Henry 
Hamann,  and  privates,  August  Priest,  Balthaser  Boder  and  John 
Langhaus. 

Fifth  Cavalry,  Missouri  State  Militia — Company  H,  Corporal, 
Lorenzo  King,  and  private,  Orlando  C.  Tracey. 

Twelfth  Illinois  Infantry — Company  F,  private,  George  Schmidt. 

Forty-Third  Illinois  Infantry — Company  H,  private.  Christian 
Steinman. 

Second  Kansas  Cavalry — Company  I,  Quartermaster-Sergeant, 
Moses  H.  Barker;  Sergeants,  Bartlett  F.  Browning  and  Morris 
Enright ;  Corporals,  Joseph  Henderson,  Lewis  R.  Funston,  Joshua  B. 
Bailey,  Benjamin  W.  Hicks,  Asa  Moore  and  Edward  Ross ;  Saddler, 
Calvin  H.  Freeman,  and  privates,  John  Akerson,  Stewart  Abbott, 
Alonzo  Hunt,  Joseph  Ringer,  Charles  P.  Sheldon,  Stephen  M.  Showey, 
Asa  Toole,  William  H.  Walker,  Frederick  Whirte  and  Alexander 
Wike. 

Sixth  Wisconsin  Infantry — Company  C,  privates,  Albert  L.  Fisk, 
William  Kelley  and  William  Winney. 


WAR    HISTORY — 1861-1865 AT   THE   FRONT  I7I 

Seventh    Wisconsin  Infantry — Company   K,   private,   James    M. 
Crawford. 

U.  S.  Colored  Infantry — Private,  John  Anderson. 

ROLL  OF  HONOR 

The  following  is  the  list  of  Clayton  county  soldiers  who  died  dur- 
ing the  course  of  the  war : 

Capt.  Alvah  Bevins,  killed  in  battle  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  March  7, 
1862  ;  Lieut.  Josiah  Wragg,  died  in  prison  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  June  9,  1864; 
Allen,  Charles  A.,  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Aug.  14,  1863;  AUman, 
George  W.,  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Aug.  7,  1864;  Alloway,  William 
H.,  died  on  hospital  boat,  June  8,  1863 ;  Anderson,  John,  died  at  Island 
No.  66,  Mississippi  river,  Feb.  i,  1864;  Andrews,  Hugh  W.,  died  at 
Camp  Ford,  Tex.,  Aug.  3,  1864 ;  Arble,  Richard  P.,  died  at  Farmers- 
burg,  Nov.  25,  1862;  Baker,  Sylvester,  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.; 
Baldwin,  James,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  28,  1864;  Barber, 
Sylvester,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  11,  1862;  Barnhouse,  James  M., 
killed  in  action  at  Dallas,  Ga.,  May  27,  1864;  Barnhouse,  John  M., 
killed  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863 ;  Bartholomew,  A.  J.,  died  at 
Sperry,  Feb.  29,  1864;  Batholomew,  William,  died  at  Volga  City,  June 
4,  1862 ;  Baxter,  Cornelius  W.,  died  at  Moscow,  Tenn.,  Aug.  2,  1863 ; 
Beck,  George,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Feb.  8,  1863 ;  Betteys,  Mason 
D.,  died  at  St.  Genevieve,  Mo.,  March  19,  1863 ;  Bigler,  Martin,  died 
at  New  Orleans,  La.,  June  25,  1864;  Birch,  John,  died  at  New  Orleans, 
La.,  Nov.  7,  1863 ;  Bishop,  William,  killed  at  Ringgold,  Ga.,  Nov.  27, 
1863 ;  Brown,  James  D.,  died  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Jan.  25,  1863 ; 
Brown,  James  W.,  died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  July  14,  1863 ;  Brown, 
Richard  W.,  died  in  prison  at  Florence,  S.  C,  Nov.  8,  1864;  Brown, 
Robert  P.,  died  at  McGregor,  March  30,  1864;  Brown,  Wilham  S.,  died 
at  Washington,  D.  C,  Sept.  4,  1864;  Burns,  John,  died  at  Rome, 
Ga.,  Aug.  21,  1864;  Busby,  Thomas,  died  at  Rolla,  Mo.,  March  10, 
1863;  Bush,  Peter,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  16,  1864;  Camp- 
bell, Bernard  D.,  killed  in  action  at  Corinth,  Miss.,  Oct.  4,  1862; 
Carr,  John  H.,  died  at  Ft.  Sully,  March  20,  1864;  Carrier,  Charles,  died 
at  Clinton,  Mo.,  Aug.  11,  1862;  Cassell,  Henry,  killed  in  battle  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863 ;  Chapman,  George  W.,  killed  in  battle 
at  Beaver  Creek,  Mo.,  Nov.  24,  1862 ;  Christeman,  Nels,  died  at  Vicks- 
burg, Miss.,  Aug.  20,  1863;  Churnor,  Smith,  died  April  29,  1863; 
Clark,  Avery,  killed  at  White  Stone  Hills,  S.  D.,  Sept.  3,  1863 ;  Cooper, 
Thomas,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Oct.  10,  1863;  Corbin,  Levi  M., 
Wiled  at  Atlanta,  Ga.,  July  22,  1864;  Crist,  Jacob  B.,  died  at  St.  Louis, 
Mo.,  June  2,  1862;  Crop,  John  S.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Sept.  13, 
1863;  Crumb,  Oscar,  killed  in  action  at  Montevallo,  April  14,  1862; 
Curtis,  James  M.,  died  on  the  steamer  "R.  C.  Wood,"  July  15,  1863; 
Dalton,  Milo,  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Aug.  19,  1863 ;  Daniels, 
Thomas,  died  on  steamer  "R.  C,  Wood,"  Aug.  16,  1863 ;  Davis,  Ozias 
M.,  died  at  Davenport,  March  22,  1862;  Dean,  George,  died  May  19, 
1863 ;  Dix,  Hervey,  killed  at  Kirksville,  Mo.,  Aug.  20,  1861 ;  Donaldson, 
John,  died  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  Aug.  14,  1863;  Dorland,  Clement, 


172  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

killed  accidentally  at  Cheran,  N.  C,  March  6,  1865 ;  Eastman,  Geo.  W. 
D.,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  April  10,  1864;  Engebertson,  Gunder  J., 
died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  23,  1863 ;  Farrin,  William  H.,  killed  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863 ;  Fay,  George  W.,  died  at  Warrenton, 
Miss.,  June  14,  1863 ;  Felter,  George  W.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  8, 
1862;  Fitch,  John,  died  at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  April  10,  1863;  Flanniken, 
James  M.,  died  at  Smithland,  Ky.,  Feb.  15,  1862;  Fobes,  Warren  S., 
died  at  Pacific,  Mo.,  Dec.  24,  1861 ;  Follion,  Orion  S.,  died  at  Houston, 
Mo.,  Dec.  7,  1862;  Frazer,  John,  drowned  at  Ft.  Randall,  S.  D.,  May 
23,  1863 ;  Fulton,  James,  died  at  Macon  City,  Mo.,  Sept.  29,  1862 ; 
Garretson,  William,  died  on  floating  hospital  at  Memphis,  Aug.  12, 
1863;  Garrison,  Lowry  M.,  died  at  Keokuk,  Nov.  17,  1862;  Gaylord, 
Alexander,  died  at  Helena,  Ark.,  Oct.  21,  1862;  Gaylord,  Wm.  F., 
died  on  steamer  "R.  C.  Wood,"  Aug.  22,  1863 ;  Gibson,  James  M.,  died 
at  Woodville,  Ala.,  Feb.  7,  1864;  Gifford,  W.  H.  H.,  died  at  Little 
Rock,  Ark.,  Jan.  5,  1865 ;  Goldsmith,  Edward,  died  on  Turkey  river, 
Aug.  16,  1863 ;  Goodnough,  George  A.,  died  in  Fayette  county,  Aug. 
31,  1863;  GosHn,  John  L.,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  June  21,  1864; 
Gray,  William  H.,  killed  at  Julesburg,  C.,  Jan.  7,  1865 ;  Grayson, 
Thomas,  killed  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863 ;  Green,  Archibald, 
killed  at  St.  Joseph,  Mo.,  Aug.  27,  1864;  Green,  George,  died  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  Nov.  17,  1862 ;  Griffin,  Reuben  H.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
Dec.  12,  1863 ;  Griffith,  William  H.,  killed  in  action  at  Vicksburg,  Miss., 
May  22,  1863;  Guiselman,  John,  died  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  Nov.  21, 
1863;  Hall,  Alfred  E.,  died  at  Rolla,  Mo.,  3,  1862;  Hall,  Perry, 
killed  in  action  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  March  7,  1862 ;  Hamer,  William  A., 
died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Dec.  10,  1864;  Harding,  Henry  P.,  died  at 
Fort  Snelling,  Minn.,  Dec.  10,  1863 ;  Hardy,  James  W.,  died  at  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  May  25,  1863 ;  Haskill,  Leanard,  died  at  Jackson,  Tenn., 
Jan.  12,  1863 ;  Haskell,  Parson  F.,  died  at  Camp  Sherman,  Sept.  2, 
1863;  Hastings,  Stephen  R.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  June  28,  1862; 
Hathaway,  Lewis  H.,  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  Dec.  23,  1864 ;  Haynes, 
Thomas,  died  at  Quincy,  111.,  July  12,  1862 ;  Hays,  Thomas,  killed  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863 ;  Henderson,  Cyrus  M.,  died  at  Beaver 
Creek,  Mo.,  Dec.  28,  1862;  Hewlet,  Joseph  A.,  died  at  Rolla,  Mo., 
Oct.  17,  1862;  Hinds,  Charles  B.,  died  at  Grand  Gulf,  Miss.,  May  14, 
1863 ;  Hinkle,  Thomas,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  6,  1862 ;  Hood, 
William,  killed  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863 ;  Hotinger,  Henry, 
died  at  Helena,  Ark.,  April  13,  1864;  Hughes,  Andrew,  died  at  Mem- 
phis, Tenn.,  Sept.  15,  1864;  Hughs,  Francis  M.,  killed  at  Vicksburg, 
Miss.,  May  19,  1863 ;  Iverson,  John  B.,  died  at  Port  Hudson,  La.,  Aug. 
8,  1863 ;  Jackson,  Freedom,  killed  in  battle  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  March 
7,  1862;  Jones,  Webster,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Jan.  2,  1863;  Kain, 
John,  died  at  Cairo,  111.,  March  29,  1863 ;  Kelley,  William  H.,  died  on 
steamer  "Burlington,"  September  4,  1864;  King,  Levi  R.,  died  at  Jack- 
son, Tenn.,  April  15,  1863;  Lackey,  Augustus,  died  at  Forsyth,  Mo., 
April  22,  1862 ;  Lampert,  Joseph,  killed  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22, 
1863 ;  Lawrence,  George  H.,  died  at  Houston,  Mo.,  Jan.  20,  1863  > 
Lazelle,  Marshall,  died  at  St.  Louis  Mo.,  June  20,  1862 ;  Lewis,  Harvey, 
died  at  Cairo,  111.,  Dec.  17,  1862;  Lewis,  Henry  L.,  killed  at  Old  Town 
Creek,  Miss.,  July  15,  1864;  Lewis,  Henry  T.,  died  at  Rolla,  Mo.,  Oct. 


WAR    HISTORY 1861-1865 — ^AT   THE   FRONT  I73 

27,  1862;  Lewis,  Runyon  C,  died  at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  Feb.  7,  1863; 
Linger,  Fredrick,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  July  5,  1864;  Lockridge, 
Daniel  P.,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Aug.  21,  1863;  Lyons,  John,  died 
at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  30,  1862 ;  Mack,  John,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
May  9,  1862;  Malony,  Jerry,  died  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  15, 
1863 ;  Maloney,  Jeremiah,  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  Nov.  6,  1863 ; 
Mather,  John  H.,  died  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  10,  1863; 
McKittrick,  Robert  H.,  died  on  the  steamer  "City  of  Memphis,"  June 
27,  1863;  McLoon,  Barney,  killed  at  Shiloh,  Tenn.,  April  6,  1862; 
Millholen,  Perry,  died  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  April  6,  1865 ;  Mohlstedt, 
Henry,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  July  8,  1864;  Moore,  Oscar,  died  at 
Austin,  Texas,  Nov.  18,  1865  ;  Moore,  Samuel  W.,  killed  at  Black 
River  Bridge,  Miss.,  May  17,  1863 ;  Mosgrove,  Briggs,  died  at  Keokuk, 
la.,  April  16,  1865 ;  Muller,  Theodore,  died  at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  March 
13,  1863 ;  Neelings,  James  W.,  died  at  Farmersburg,  Nov.  29,  1862 ; 
Nelson,  C.  S.,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Aug.  20,  1863 ;  Newton,  Calvin, 
died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  18,  1863;  Noble,  Dwight,  died  at  St. 
Genevieve,  Mo.,  March  15,  1863;  Oleson,  Ammon,  died  at  Memphis, 
Tenn.,  Sept.  8,  1864;  Oleson,  Gunder,  died  at  Jefferson  Barracks,  Mo., 
Sept.  27,  1863;  O'Sullivan,  Michael,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Feb.  24, 
1864;  Otis,  Francis  A.,  died  at  Moscow,  Tenn.,  June  28,  1863;  Parker, 
William,  died  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  7,  1863 ;  Penhollow,  George 
W.,  died  at  Mallory,  Oct.  13,  1862 ;  Penny,  Calvin,  died  at  Cairo,  111., 
Oct.  24,  1863 ;  Perkins,  William,  died  near  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  June  14, 
1863 ;  Perry,  Edward,  died  at  Camden,  Ark.,  Oct.  30,  1865 ;  Perry, 
Elijah,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  April  5,  1864;  Pettis,  Robert  M.,  died 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Aug.  23,  1863 ;  Pitt,  Robert,  died  at  Haines  Bluff, 
Miss.,  June  6,  1863  5  Volley,  Daniel  W.,  died  at  Keokuk,  June  12,  1865  ; 
Pool,  John  C,  died  on  steamer  "City  of  Memphis,"  July  17,  1863; 
Poole,  Robert  J.,  died  at  Milliken's  Bend,  La.,  April  21,  1863;  Powers, 
Oscar,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Sept.  27,  1863 ;  Preschl,  Carl,  killed 
at  Hartsville,  Mo.,  Jan.  11,  1863;  Presho,  Alexander,  died  at  Camp 
Sherman,  Miss.,  Aug.  20,  1863 !  Preston,  James  M.,  killed  at  Shiloh, 
Tenn.,  April  6,  1862;  Price,  Valma  V.,  died  at  Mobile,  Ala.,  July  6, 
1862;  Randall,  Samuel,  died  at  Ft.  Randall,  S.  D.,  July  22,  1863; 
Rankin,  James,  died  at  Brownsville,  Ark.,  Sept.  14,  1863 ;  Reed, 
Charles  H.,  died  at  Jackson,  Tenn.,  April  11,  1863;  Reichart,  John, 
killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  March  7,  1862;  Reinhardt,  George,  died  at 
Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Oct.  3,  1863;  Renwick,  Augustus  A.,  died  at  Vicks- 
burg, Miss.,  June  27,  1863 ;  Reynolds,  E.,  died  at  Hempstead,  Tex., 
Oct.  30,  1865 ;  Rizer,  William  W.,  died  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  April  5, 
1865;  Robison,  David  H.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Aug.  4,  1863; 
Russell,  Enos  M.,  killed  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  April  29,  1865 ;  Sargent, 
Lyman,  died  at  Pacific,  Mo.,  Nov.  14,  1861  ;  Schlake,  Gerhard,  died  at 
Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Nov.  11,  1863;  Schlake,  Henry,  died  at  Vicksburg, 
Miss.,  June  5,  1864;  Scofield,  Norman  W.,  died  at  Ironton,  Mo.,  Feb. 
24,  1863;  Scoville,  Orrin,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  27,  1862;  Seeber, 
Timothy,  killed  at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.,  March  7,  1862 ;  Seimer,  John  F., 
died  at  Pleasant  Hill,  La.,  May  5,  1864 ;  Shaw,  Samuel  P.,  killed  at 
Florence,  Ala.,  Oct.  30,  1864;  Shuck,  David  M.,  died  at  Milliken's 
Bend,  La.,  April  21,  1863;  Shuck,  Jacob  W.,  died  near  Walnut  Hills, 


174  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Ark.,  Dec.  18,  1865 ;  Smith,  James,  killed  in  action  at  Vicksburg,  Miss., 
May  22,  1863 ;  Southworth,  William  H.,  died  at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Aug. 
15,  1863;  Sprague,  Perry  C,  died  at  Elkport,  Dec.  8,  1864;  Squires, 
Lester,  killed  in  action  at  Blue  Mills,  Mo.,  Sept.  17,  1861 ;  Stahl, 
Joseph,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Aug.  9,  1863;  Stemgrinson,  Jacob, 
killed  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  May  22,  1863;  Stephenson,  William  C, 
died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  23,  1863 ;  Stockton,  Erasmus  D.,  died  at 
Cairo,  III,  May  23,  1863;  Stoughton,  Thomas  A.,  died  at  Highland, 
Sept.  26,  1863;  Tavis,  John,  killed  at  Pleasant  Hill,  La.,  April  9,  1864; 
Thompson,  August,  killed  at  Nickajack  Creek,  July  21,  1864;  Tinkham, 
William  H.,  died  at  Little  Rock,  Ark.,  Sept.  29,  1863 ;  Thurber,  Avery 
R.,  died  at  Iron  Mountain,  Mo.,  Feb.  27,  1863 ;  Waggoner,  William  E., 
died  at  Jeffersonville,  Ind.,  June  17,  1864;  Wakefield,  Lorenzo,  died  at 
Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  25,  1863 ;  Washburn,  Francis,  died  at  Morgan- 
zia.  La.,  Sept.  30,  1864;  Weeks,  Ralph  A.,  died  at  New  Orleans,  La., 
Aug.  II,  1864;  Weseman,  Charles,  killed  in  action  at  Pea  Ridge  Ark., 
March  7,  1862 ;  Whipple,  Darwin,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Aug.  3,  1863 ; 
White,  Jacob,  died  at  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  July  31,  1863;  Whitford, 
James,  killed  in  action  at  Montevallo,  Mo.,  April  14,  1862;  Wilcox, 
Hiram,  died  at  Mound  City,  111.,  Nov.  24,  1862 ;  Wilkie,  G.  M.,  died 
at  Memphis,  Tenn.,  Jan,  15,  1863;  Wilson,  Charles  W.,  died  at  Cairo, 
111.,  April  10,  1863 ;  Wilson,  David  G.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Jan.  30, 
1864;  Wing,  David  B.,  died  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  July  4,  1863. 


CHAPTER  VIII 


DOMESTIC  HISTORY  DURING  WAR 

RAILROAD   PUSHED   WESTWARD LAND   TITLES   DISPUTE — DIAMOND    JOE 

m'gREROR       DURING       WAR  —  RAFTING EDUCATIONAL        PROGRESS 

CHURCH    ACTIVITIES — AGRICULTURAL    SOCIETY — WARTIME    POLITICS 

UNION  PARTY — DIVISION  OF  COUNTY  PROPOSED CAMPAIGN  OF   1862 

PEACE    PARTY,    1863 — SECOND    LINCOLN    CAMPAIGN — COUNTY    AFFAIRS 

REVIEW  OF  COUNTY  IN    1865 — SIDELIGHTS  ON  PROGRESS — DEATH  OF 

R.  R.  READ MINOR  EVENTS. 

GOLDEN  DAYS  OF  m'gREGOR 

WHILE  the  chief  interest  of  the  people  of  Clayton  county  centered 
about  the  war  during  these  years,  from  1861  to  1865,  it  was  not 
their  only  concern.  While  there  were  scores  of  Union  meetings 
and  while  the  thought  of  the  people  was  directed  to  enlistments,  to  the 
relief  of  the  soldiers  and  to  the  news  from  the  front,  they  did  not 
neglect  the  business,  social  or  political  life  of  the  county.  Despite  the 
heavy  taxes  imposed  by  war,  times  continued  to  improve  from  year  to 
year  and  recovery  was  made  from  the  depression  of  the  previous 
administration.  The  war  created  an  increased  demand  for  products 
and  decreased  the  labor  supply  so  that  wages  reached  the  highest  point 
they  had  ever  known  in  this  country. 

In  1861  the  shin-plaster  was  still  the  greatest  curse  of  business  and 
the  Elkader  paper  states  that  business  is  improving,  "altliough  not  so 
good  as  a  year  ago."  The  farmers  were  afraid  to  exchange  their  grain 
for  Illinois  or  Wisconsin  money,  as  they  could  not  tell  what  it  would 
be  worth  from  one  day  to  the  other.  R.  E.  Price  tells  the  story  that 
he  worked  and  saved  until  he  had  sufficient  to  buy  a  suit  of  clothes. 
He  walked  to  McGregor  to  make  the  purchase,  but,  when  he  got  there, 
he  found  that  his  money  had  so  depreciated  during  the  day  that  he 
only  had  enough  to  buy  a  vest.  Prices  were  low  in  1861,  wheat  was 
quoted  at  51  cents,  corn  20,  oats  18,  and  eggs  4  cents  per  dozen. 
Nevertheless,  the  times  improved  and,  before  the  close  of  the  war, 
prices  were  good.  The  business  of  the  county  was  hard  hit  by  fire. 
The  burning  of  the  mill  was  a  great  loss  to  Elkader  and  although  work 
of  rebuilding  was  soon  commenced  it  was  three  years  before  it  was 
again  in  operation,  at  which  time  the  citizens  of  Elkader  duly  cele- 


176  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

brated.  At  Clayton  the  large  sawmill  owned  by  Frank  Smith  was 
burned,  together  with  550,000  feet  of  seasoned  lumber.  This,  and  the 
growing  importance  of  McGregor,  served  to  check  the  growth  of  Clay- 
ton. Guttenberg,  with  its  conservative  German  population,  continued 
to  do  an  ever  increasing  business.  McGregor  increased  yearly  in 
prosperity  until  the  last  years  of  the  war.  During  these  years,  how- 
ever, it  was  visited  by  three  great  fires  which  wiped  out  the  fragile 
frame  buildings  which  had  been  erected  because  of  the  uncertainty  of 
the  land  titles.  For  the  year  ending  July,  1861,  McGregor,  according 
to  the  Chicago  Times,  was  the  largest  primary  grain-receiving  depot  in 
the  world.  The  receipts  of  wheat  were  3,000,000  bu.  and,  during  the 
winter  season,  pork  to  the  value  of  $200,000  and  hides  and  furs  to 
the  value  of  $100,000  were  handled.  Still  later,  in  January,  1862, 
the  business  for  the  month  was  reported  as  wheat,  1,274,748  bu. ;  flour, 
10,752  barrels;  dressed  hogs,  13,502,  lard  32,810  barrels,  butter  268,940 
lbs.,  eggs,  486  barrels;  hides,  green,  178,045  lbs.;  dry,  83,530  lbs.,  and 
from  600  to  800  teams  were  said  to  arrive  in  McGregor  daily  during 
the  grain  season.  A  correspondent  in  the  Dubuque  Herald,  in  July, 
1862,  describes  scenes  in  McGregor  during  these  busy  days.  He  says: 
"On  Sunday  evening  the  teams  loaded  with  wheat,  principally,  com- 
menced rolling  in  through  the  long,  and  almost  only  street  of  the  city. 
The  line  of  teams  became  almost  continuous  through  the  day  and  prob- 
ably through  the  night  on  Monday,  and  by  Tuesday,  by  10  o'clock  a.  m. 
there  was  a  perfect  jam  of  loaded  teams  at  the  warehouses  along  the 
river  front  and,  as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach  along  the  main  street, 
one  line  of  laden  wagons  could  be  seen  turned  toward  the  warehouses, 
while  as  long  a  line  was  turned  homeward,  on  the  opposite  side,  most 
of  them  laden  with  goods  purchased  at  McGregor.  A  gentleman,  a 
stranger  like  ourself,  who  accompanied  us  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
grain  houses,  spoke  in  Norwegian  to  one  of  the  teamsters,  inquiring 
how  far  he  had  come  with  his  load  of  grain.  The  answer  was,  150 
miles.  We  inquired  farther,  and  were  told  that  it  is  a  common  thing 
for  farmers  200  and  more  miles  distant  westward  and  northwestward 
to  haul  their  wheat  in  wagons  to  McGregor." 

Railroad  Pushed  Westward — During  the  first  days  of  the  war, 
McGregor  was  also  a  primary  point  of  concentration  for  the  volun- 
teers and  this  also  did  much  to  increase  business  and  to  put  money  into 
circulation.  Seven  years  prior  to  the  war  a  railroad  was  proposed  to 
run  west  from  McGregor.  A  few  miles  of  road  were  graded,  ties  were 
provided,  culverts  and  bridges  constructed,  and  things  looked  promis- 
ing. Times  grew  hard,  money  was  far  from  easy  and  the  work  was 
turned  over  to  other  parties.  These  failed,  and  it  was  turned  to  a 
third  company,  which  was  also  unable  to  push  it  forward.  By  some 
legal  process  the  franchise  reverted  to  Judge  Brown,  one  of  the  most 
active  of  the  original  promoters.  Brown  sold  the  interest  of  the  old 
company  to  the  McGregor  Western  Rail  Road  Company,  of  which 
George  Green  was  president  and  James  L.  Reynolds,  vice-president. 
This  company  conferred  with  the  officials  of  the  Milwaukee  and  Prairie 
du  Chien  Company  and  active  work  on  the  new  railroad  was  re-com- 
menced in  September,  1863.  The  enterprise  had  been  embarrassed  by 
a  rival  survey  commencing  9  miles  north  of  McGregor  at  the  mouth  of 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  177 

Paint  Creek,  but  this  was  also  adjusted.  In  March,  1863,  a  contract 
for  18  miles  of  grading  was  let  to  Green  and  Harding,  to  be  com- 
pleted by  July  15.  In  October,  of  the  same  year,  the  first  engine  was 
on  the  track,  three  miles  of  track  had  been  laid  and  the  road  was  pro- 
gressing at  the  rate  of  one  half  mile  a  day.  It  was  then  the  plan  that 
the  road  should  go  to  Postville,  and  branch  to  the  northwest,  while 
the  main  line  went  via  Clermont  and  West  Union.  It  was  at  this  time 
that  McGregor  awoke  to  the  fact  that  its  interests  were  not  being  con- 
sidered in  the  railroad  company's  plans  and  that,  instead  of  increasing 
its  business,  the  new  line  threatened  its  very  existence.  The  company 
asked  $50,000  to  lay  a  double  track  from  North  McGregor  to  Mc- 
Gregor. This  offer  was  afterward  reduced  to  $20,000  and  was  tenta- 
tively accepted,  until  the  committee  found  that  the  railroad  would 
maintain  North  McGregor  as  its  terminus  and  that  the  branch  would 
simply  be  for  the  accommodation  of  McGregor's  local  business.  Mc- 
Gregor then  determined  to  "confer  with  Mineral  Point  Road  parties  and 
secure  an  eastern  connection  through  the  Illinois  Central."  In  April, 
the  Times  complains  that  "North  McGregor  is  looking  up  frightfully." 

On  May  18,  1864,  the  railroad  had  passed  Monona  and  reached 
Luana,  although  there  were  no  turn-table  facilities  and  the  train  was 
obliged  to  back  down.  On  August  8,  1864,  the  first  train  reached 
Postville,  although  it  had  been  delayed  by  the  difficulty  in  obtaining 
labor  during  the  harvest.  By  October,  1865,  the  road  was  completed 
as  far  as  Conover  and  it  steadily  pushed  its  way  westward.  By  the 
summer  of  1864,  McGregor  had  yielded  to  the  inevitable  and  a  Mr. 
Freeman  had  established  the  first  bus  line  from  North  to  South  Mc- 
Gregor. A  gang  of  150  men  were  also  employed  by  the  railroad  to 
cut  a  canal  through  the  island  between  North  McGregor  and  Prairie 
du  Chien. 

As  a  result  of  the  hard  times  of  previous  years  there  were  also 
financial  difficulties.  Robert  Grant  was  forced  to  suspend  business 
and,  in  January,  1862,  the  Lee  &  Kinniard  bank  failed,  with  liabilities 
of  $57,000  and  assets  which  finally  netted  considerably  less.  This  was 
the  first  bank  in  Clayton  county  and  at  its  failure  no  criticism  was  made 
that  it  had  not  been  honestly  conducted,  but  simply  that  it  had  been 
forced  to  the  wall  by  the  hard  times. 

Land  Titles'  Dispute — In  December,  1861,  James  McGregor,  Jr., 
feeling  that  he  was  secure  in  his  title,  proposed  to  sell  to  the  citizens 
the  500  lots,  which  were  then  claimed  and  improved,  for  the  total  sum 
of  $190,000.  This  offer  was  accepted  and  a  committee  appointed  to 
assess  the  lots.  After  this  was  done.  Mr.  McGregor  refused  to  abide 
by  their  assessment  and  wished  to  make  it  himself.  At  a  meeting, 
over  which  D.  Baugh  presided,  a  committee,  consisting  of  H.  W.  Bur- 
lingame,  J.  B.  Benton,  William  I.  Gilchrist,  H.  Kennedy,  Michael 
O'Brien,  Martin  Knight  and  G.  H.  Hand,  was  appointed  to  guard 
the  interests  of  the  city.  It  was  soon  after  this,  that  the  first  of  the 
fires  occurred  and  the  McGregor  interests  forbade  any  rebuilding  until 
the  lots  were  purchased.  An  indignation  meeting  was  held  Jan.  10, 
1862,  and  an  agreement  was  prepared,  not  to  recognize  the  claims  either 
of  James  McGregor,  Jr.,  or  of  the  heirs  of  Alexander  McGregor,  and 
Baugh,  Stoneman,  Hand  and  Updegraflf  were  employed  as  attorneys 


178  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

for  the  citizens.  As  if  these  were  not  troubles  enough,  change  became 
SO  scarce  that  the  city  of  McGregor  issued  scrip.  These  were  checks 
upon  the  McGregor  State  Bank,  issued  by  McGregor  and  signed  by 
the  city  recorder.  It  was  said  that  they  represented  cash  actually  de- 
posited, nevertheless,  this  scrip  was  soon  discounted  and  was  later 
refused  by  many.  To  add  to  its  burdens  McGregor  also  suffered  a 
severe  epidemic  of  smallpox  in  1864.  Despite  these  discouragements 
McGregor  maintained  itself  as  the  largest  and  busiest  town  of  the 
county;  many  permanent  buildings  were  erected  and  schools  and 
churches  thrived. 

In  1861  mention  is  made  of  the  Union  Schools,  with  E.  B.  Wake- 
man  at  their  head,  assisted  by  Miss  Updegraff.  In  1862  appears  the 
advertisement  of  Miss  Jane's  School  and,  in  1863,  McGregor  formed 
a  select  school  with  Miss  Jane  as  principal.  There  were  many  church 
activities  and  Rev.  Father  Nagle  is  applauded  for  his  vigorous  efforts 
to  make  McGregor  more  orderly.  At  this  time  the  Catholic  congre- 
gation was  planning  a  larger  church  and  to  use  the  old  building  for 
their  school  which  then  had  6"]  pupils.  Among  the  other  activities  of 
the  time  were  the  formation  of  a  musical  union  with  C.  F.  Remick 
as  president,  and  of  a  board  of  trade  of  40  members,  with  W.  I.  Gilbert 
as  president  and  J.  V.  D.  Benton  as  secretary.  A  project  for  a  ship 
canal  from  the  lakes  to  the  Mississippi  agitated  the  people  and  dele- 
gates were  appointed  to  a  Ship  Canal  Convention.  A  cemetery  asso- 
ciation was  also  formed,  a  National  Bank  was  proposed,  and  the  Mc- 
Gregor and  Fort  Atkinson  Horse  Railway  was  incorporated.  In  the 
newspaper  world,  Willis  Drummond  bought  the  Press  from  Mr. 
Belfoy.  In  1861,  P.  A.  Richardson  left  the  Times  and  it  was  pub- 
lished by  Andrick  and  Tenney.  In  August,  1863,  Richardson  went 
back  to  the  Times  and  Tenney  bought  the  Tribune,  which  was  then 
the  News. 

"Diamond  Jo" — In  1862,  Joe  Reynolds,  pork  packer,  built  the 
front  wall  of  the  new  establishment  of  his  growing  business.  Joe 
Reynolds,  better  known  as  "Diamond  Jo,"  was  one  of  the  most  bizarre 
figures  of  the  early  days  along  the  Mississippi.  The  "Diamond  Jo" 
packets  were  known  from  St.  Paul  to  New  Orleans,  and  many  are  the 
stories  told  of  this  shrewd  and  daring  business  man.  At  the  time 
when  the  "Diamond  Jo"  line  finally  passed  out  of  Mr.  Reynolds' 
hands  the  following  was  written  concerning  him : 

"Those  who  love  the  romance  of  'Picturesque  old  river  days,' 
hold  in  memory  the  virile  men  who  were  a  part  of  its  fascinating 
story.  Of  these  men  there  is  none  whose  life  history  is  so  often  re- 
hearsed, none  who  is  so  well-remembered,  as  Joseph  Reynolds,  'Dia- 
mond Jo,'  as  he  was  known  in  life  and  is  still  remembered.  He  dom- 
inated early  up-river  life  in  a  peculiar  fashion.  His  mark,  a  black  dia- 
mond with  'Jo'  in  the  center,  has  been  a  familiar  sight  to  river  folks  for 
fifty  years.  One  by  one,  other  steamboat  companies  sold  out  after  the 
railroad  built  along  the  river,  but  the  'two  long,  two  short'  whistle  of 
the  big  Diamond  Jo  packets  are  still  heard.  For  a  long  time  now,  its 
four  steamers  have  been  the  only  boats  to  carry  through  freight  and 
passengers  from  St.  Paul  to  St.  Louis.  Whether  the  new  manage- 
ment will  retain  the  familiar  Diamond  Jo  sign  is  not  known,     But^ 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  1 79 

however  that  may  be,  the  romance  of  it  goes  with  the  passing  of  the 
boats  out  of  the  hands  of  the  Reynolds'  estate. 

"Diamond  Jo  for  many  years  made  McGregor  his  headquarters. 
Mrs.  Reynolds  lived  here  until  a  short  time  before  her  death.  A  foun- 
tain, the  gift  of  Mr.  Reynolds  to  the  town,  is  in  the  triangle  park.  The 
old  residents  delight  in  giving  interesting  reminiscences  of  the  man  in 
his  various  capacities  of  fur  trader,  grain  buyer,  steamboat  owner  and 
miner.  His  estate  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  reported  at  $7,000,000. 
The  main  facts  of  his  life  can  be  chronicled,  though  the  stories,  true 
and  untrue,  told  of  him  and  his  big  days  on  the  Upper  River  and  later 
in  the  mining  districts  of  the  Southwest,  would  fill  many  pages.  He 
was  born  in  Sylvan  county.  New  York,  where  he  received  a  common 
school  education.  He  early  engaged  in  business  and  for  a  time  man- 
aged a  mill  property  near  the  old  home.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  the 
50's  and  bought  wheat  on  the  streets  there,  which  he  shipped  to  his 
New  York  mill  to  be  ground  into  flour  and  put  upon  the  market.  After 
a  prosperous  period  in  Chicago,  he  came  to  McGregor  and  from  this 
point  established  a  grain  line.  His  business  grew  to  immense  propor- 
tions and  for  years  he  was  known  as  the  heaviest  grain  buyer  in  the 
Northwest.  Later  he  established  a  steamboat  line  and  thereby  hangs 
a  tale  according  to  the  old  river  men.  He  had  tried  in  St.  Louis  to 
hire  a  Missouri  river  boat  to  bring  down  a  cargo  of  skins.  He  and 
the  steamiboat  people  had  trouble  over  the  matter  and  he  was  refused 
the  services  of  the  boat.  To  get  even,  he  built  the  Diamond  Jo  line 
of  steamers  which  soon  led  them  all.  He  built  the  Hot  Springs, 
Arkansas  Railway,  because,  it  is  related,  he  was  disgusted  with 
the  stage  that  ran  between  Malvern  and  the  Springs.  The  railroad 
was  for  some  time  his  individual  property  and  a  source  of  immense 
income.  Mr.  Reynolds  in  later  years  became  interested  in  mines  in 
Colorado  and  Arizona.  His  name  became  as  famiHar  to  western 
mining  men  as  it  long  had  been  to  Mississippi  and  Missouri  river 
farmers  and  shippers  and  to  Chicago  Board  of  Trade  men.  It  was 
at  his  famous  Congress,  Arizona,  mine,  attended  only  by  his  secretary 
and  doctor,  that  Joseph  Reynolds  died,  in  1871,  at  the  age  of  71." 

McGregor  During  War — In  1862,  through  the  efforts  of  Senator 
Hammer,  a  law  was  passed  by  the  legislature  establishing  a  city  court 
for  McGregor,  and  in  September,  1863,  McGregor  was  incorporated 
under  a  new  law,  abandoning  the  first  charter  under  which  it  was 
incorporated  in  1857.  With  the  completion  of  the  first  portion  of  the 
railroad  west  of  the  Mississippi,  the  freight  to  be  ferried  from  Mc- 
Gregor to  Prairie  du  Chien  grew  enormously  in  bulk.  In  order  to 
handle  it,  John  Lawler,  agent  for  the  Milwaukee  and  Prairie  du  Chien 
Railroad,  had  barges  built  with  railroad  tracks  built  on  them.  These 
barges  were  moored  at  approaches  built  on  either  shore,  freight  cars 
were  loaded  onto  them,  four  or  five  to  each  barge.  The  ferry  then 
towed  the  car-laden  boats  across  the  river.  This  worked  all  right  in 
the  open  season,  but  not  in  winter.  To  solve  this  problem  Lawler 
built  a  pile  bridge,  leaving  two  open  spaces  in  the  channel  for  the  pas- 
sage of  boats.  When  the  navigation  season  closed  a  temporary  bridge 
was  thrown  across  these  openings  and  through  train  service  maintained 
during  the  winter  months.     These  temporary  bridges  had  to  be  torn 


l80  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

out  each  spring,  and  to  avoid  this  Mr.  Lawler  devised  the  scheme  of 
lashing  barges  together  and  putting  them  in  these  openings.  A  cable 
and  drum  made  it  possible  to  swing  these  barges  open  to  allow  the 
passage  of  boats.  In  this  v^^ay  the  pontoon  bridge  across  the  Missis- 
sippi, from  McGregor  to  Prairie  du  Chien,  was  constructed  and,  with 
some  minor  changes,  it  remains  practically  the  same  today,  as  the 
longest  pontoon  bridge  in  the  world. 

Rafting — In  these  days  rafting  was  one  of  the  greatest  industries 
along  the  Mississippi.  From  every  river  and  stream  in  Iowa,  Minne- 
sota and  Wisconsin  the  logs  came  racing  and  jamming  down  to  the 
Mississippi,  where  they  were  pinned  together  into  great  rafts,  manned 
with  a  crew  of  oarsmen  and  a  pilot  and  started  on  their  long  voyage 
down  the  river,  either  to  the  lumber  mills  or  to  New  Orleans  for 
trans-shipment.  One  familiar  phase  of  the  old  time  life  upon  the  Mis- 
sissippi was  these  monster  rafts,  with  their  long  sweep  of  oars  at  bow 
and  stem  and  a  little  shanty  built  in  the  center,  where  the  men  ate  and 
bunked.  The  shouts  of  the  red-shirted  oarsmen  as  they  bent  to  the 
oar  in  obedience  to  the  orders  of  the  pilot,  bawled  out  in  forceful  and 
picturesque  English ;  the  dancing,  singing  and  card-playing  with  w^hich 
they  passed  the  hours  when  not  on  duty — all  these  are  scenes  never  to 
be  forgotten  by  old  time  dwellers  along  the  river.  McGregor  was 
one  of  the  points  where  these  rafts  tied  up,  took  on  supplies,  wet  and 
dry,  and  the  old  town  resounded  many  times  with  the  rough  merry- 
making of  their  boisterous  crews.  Mrs.  C.  McHose,  of  McGregor, 
who  lived  near  the  wharf  in  those  early  days,  gives  the  following 
description  of  a  typical  scene  of  the  raftsman's  life.  She  was  awak- 
ened one  night  by  singing  and  the  sound  of  a  fiddle.  The  river  was 
flooded  by  a  full  June  moon.  In  its  light  a  log  float  was  seen  drifting 
by,  with  a  score  of  raftsmen  dancing  and  singing  around  the  fiddler 
in  the  center.  The  fiddler  stopped,  one  of  the  crowd  scrambled  on 
top  of  the  shanty,  struck  the  attitude  of  an  old  time  Methodist  preacher, 
and,  beginning  with  "My  Brethern,"  in  sonorous  tones,  launched  into 
an  exhortation  to  righteous  ways.  A  few  moments  later,  above  the 
boisterous  laughter  with  which  the  harangue  was  received,  the  voice 
of  a  man  at  the  oars  sang  out  clear  above  the  water,  "Go  tell  Aunt 
Rhody  her  old  grey  goose  is  dead."  The  would-be  preacher  stopped, 
the  song  was  taken  up  and  as  the  raft  drifted  out  of  view  into  the 
shadows  of  the  night,  the  weird  volume  of  harmony  came  echoing 
back  from  the  darkness.  In  fogs  and  bad  weather  the  rafts  were  tied 
up  to  the  shore.  This  was  the  signal  for  a  grand  carousal  and  many 
are  the  tales  told  in  the  river-towns  of  the  wild  doings,  and  of  the 
yet  wilder  bouts  when  the  men  were  paid  ofif  at  the  end  of  their  journey 
and  came  up  the  river  on  the  little  raft  boats  which  raced  back  with 
them  to  the  pineries  of  the  north.  In  1865,  the  Times  says:  "The 
river  banks  are  piled  with  the  pine  products  of  the  north,  while  many 
rafts  of  logs,  lumber,  lath  and  shingles  lie  as  yet  unhandled  at  the 
waters  edge."  Two  years  later  tow-boats  came  into  general  use  to 
increase  the  capacity  and  speed  of  these  monster  rafts  and,  still  later, 
two  boats  were  used,  a  small  boat  for  steerage  at  the  bow  and  a  large 
propeller  at  the  stern.  In  this  way  lumber  rafts  worth  nearly  a  quar- 
ter of  a  million  have  been  towed. 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  l8l 

Educational  Progress — With  the  new  school  law  there  was  greatly 
increased  activity  among  the  teachers  of  the  county.  In  October, 
1861,  a  successful  institute  was  held  at  Garnavillo,  with  H.  Emery  as 
president,  John  Everall  as  secretary  and  Prof.  Putnam  of  Indiana  as 
instructor.  A  teachers'  association  meeting  was  held  at  Windsor  in 
March,  1862.  Alonzo  Brown  was  the  first  county  superintendent, 
being  elected  in  1858.  He  was  very  active  and  promoted  the  first 
teachers'  association  and  the  first  institute  which  was  held  in  Garna- 
villo. Prof.  J.  Briggs  was  one  of  the  leading  educators  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Emery  was  from  Monona  and  soon  became  popular  with  the 
teachers.  Prof.  Kramer,  together  with  Kingsley,  Crary  and  Everall, 
were  among  the  leading  male  teachers,  and  Miss  Melvina  Stewart 
was  prominent  among  the  women.  During  these  years  the  force  of 
male  teachers  was  depleted  by  enlistments  in  the  army.  The  institute 
for  1862  was  held  under  the  direction  of  Supt.  Emery,  Prof.  Ingalls 
as  conductor  and,  in  1863,  the  institute  was  held  at  McGregor.  At 
the  association  meeting  held  at  Windsor  in  the  winter  of  1864  Supt. 
Emery  was  presented  with  a  watch  by  the  teachers  in  acknowledgment 
of  his  faithful  service,  though  their  hearts  were  filled  with  sorrow  as 
they  knew  that  he  was  about  to  die  of  consumption.  In  1865  a  suc- 
cessful institute  was  held  in  Elkader  and  in  November  of  that  year, 
Jonathan  Briggs,  who  had  devoted  his  life  to  the  instruction  of  the 
young,  completed  the  building  of  an  academy  upon  the  site  of  the 
"Old  Brick  Tavern"  at  Garnavillo.  This  institution  was  conducted 
by  Mr.  Briggs  for  several  years,  but  finally  had  to  be  abandoned  on 
account  of  lack  of  support. 

Church  Activities — Among  the  church  activities  during  this  war 
period  were  the  building  of  the  Freewill  Baptist  Church  at  Strawberry 
Point  at  a  cost  of  $4,000,  in  1861  ;  the  holding  of  numerous  church 
conventions ;  the  meeting  of  the  County  Sunday  School  Association  at 
National,  in  1862;  a  convention  of  Universalists  in  1863;  the  activity 
of  the  Good  Templars  at  Strawberry  Point  and  other  towns  in  the 
county ;  a  donation  party  by  which  the  meagre  salary  of  Rev.  Joseph 
R.  Cameron  was  helped  out  at  Volga  and  Elkader,  and  the  raising  of 
$3,000  to  build  a  Congregational  Church  at  Garnavillo. 

Agricultural  Societies — A  meeting  of  the  Clayton  County  Agri- 
cultural Society  was  held  at  Garnavillo,  May  25,  1861.  Norman  Ham- 
ilton presided  and  Alonzo  Brown  was  secretary.  Previous  fairs  had 
been  more  in  the  nature  of  local  enterprises  and  the  society  was  now 
founded  on  county  lines.  A  constitution  was  adopted  and  the  follow- 
ing officers  were  elected :  President,  Edwin  Sherman ;  secretary, 
Norman  Hamilton ;  treasurer,  John  H.  Shoulte ;  directors,  Joseph 
Eiboeck,  George  Killam,  Alonzo  Brown,  John  Dice,  M.  B.  Sherman, 
George  W.  Beach,  Samuel  Murdock,  O.  W.  Crary  and  P.  M.  Potter. 
It  was  decided  to  hold  the  fair  at  Garnavillo,  in  October,  1861,  and 
premiums  were  announced  for  a  two  days'  fair.  The  weather  was 
bad  and  the  crowd  and  the  exhibits  were  small.  Twenty-four  persons 
made  entries  and  eighteen  of  them  drew  premiums.  There  not  being 
a  sufficiency  of  money  to  pay  them  fully,  nearly  all  those  entitled  to 
premiums  liberally  returned  part  of  the  money.  The  amount  re- 
funded was  $21.15  ^"d  the  amount  paid   was  $33.10.     The  second 


l82  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

annual  meeting  was  held  at  Garnavillo,  May  21,  1862.  At  this  time 
it  was  decided  to  locate  the  fair  permanently  at  Farmersburg  or  Na- 
tional, and  $80  was  voted  for  an  exhibition  building.  Edwin  Sherman 
was  elected  president  and  N.  Hamilton  secretary.  A  state  fair  was 
held  at  Dubuque  in  1862,  and  some  of  the  fancy  stock  bought  there  by 
N.  Hamilton,  Edwin  Sherman,  James  Uriell  and  John  Osterdock  was 
shown  at  the  county  fair.  At  this  state  fair  flour  made  by  the  Stone 
Mill  at  Clayton  took  first  prize.  Of  this  second  county  fair  it  is  said 
that  it  was  attended  by  the  usual  "fair"  weather,  which  meant  that  it 
rained  every  day.  Nevertheless  the  fair,  which  lasted  one  day  only, 
was  well  attended  and  enough  was  received  to  pay  the  premiums  in 
full.  At  the  meeting  in  1863  O.  W.  Crary  was  elected  president  and 
N.  Hamilton  secretary.  A  fair  was  held  at  National  and  is  said  to 
have  been  a  success.  Judge  Price  made  an  address,  as  did  Mr.  Beebe, 
of  Dubuque.  Miss  McWilliams  took  the  riding  premium.  The  society 
now  had  200  members,  but  the  secretary  bitterly  complains  that  81 
of  them  were  delinquent.  On  the  second  day  of  the  fair  a  collection 
was  taken  for  fair  buildings,  netting  $50.  In  1864,  J-  E.  Corlett  was 
president  and  N.  Hamilton  continued  as  secretary.  The  fair  was  held 
October  12  and  13,  during  one  of  the  most  exciting  periods  of  the 
county's  history.  It  was  the  time  of  the  draft  and  of  Union  meetings 
and  a  spirited  election  contest  with  the  county  seat  war  on,  and  many 
Union  meetings,  and  probably  for  these  reasons  the  county  newspapers 
give  no  account  of  the  fair.  In  1865  James  Parker  was  president  and 
J.  E.  Corlett  secretary.  The  fair  was  said  to  have  been  a  success, 
although  it  rained  on  the  last  day  and  it  was  thought  there  was  suffi- 
cient members  in  good  standing  to  secure  the  $200  aid  oflFered  by  the 
state. 

Wartime  Politics — Politically  the  history  of  these  war  times  is 
most  interesting.  The  Republican  party  had  been  successful  in  the 
elections  of  i860  and  had  built  up  a  strong  and  vigorous  young  party. 
With  the  incoming  of  a  Republican  president,  under  the  old  spoils 
system,  there  were  many  offices  to  be  given,  and,  very  naturally,  there 
were  many  eager  applicants.  Into  this  normal  course  of  politics  was 
thrown  the  bombshell  of  war.  To  understand  the  politics  of  1861,  it 
must  be  remembered  that  there  were  four  almost  distinct  divisions 
within  the  two  parties.  Among  the  Republicans,  there  were  the  Aboli- 
tionists, with  whom  the  abolition  of  slavery  was  paramount  even  to 
the  perpetuity  of  the  Union.  There  were  other  Republicans,  de- 
scendants of  the  old  Whig  party,  who  had  but  little  sympathy  with  the 
anti-slavery  movement,  who  opposed  its  extension,  but  were  not  anxious 
to  abolish  it  in  the  South  but  who  were  opposed  to  democracy  along  old 
party  lines.  Among  the  Democrats,  there  was  an  element  in  full 
sympathy  with  slavery  and  with  the  sentiment  of  the  South,  believing 
in  state's  rights  and  feeling  that  the  national  government  had  no  right 
to  coerce  the  states.  The  other  element  of  democracy  opposed  and  dis- 
trusted Lincoln,  but  thought  that  the  preservation  of  the  Union  was 
above  all  party  considerations. 

"Union  Party" — With  the  opening  of  actual  hostilities,  the  country 
was  swept  by  a  wave  of  patriotism,  which,  for  the  moment,  did  away 
with  all  thought  of  partisanship.     It  was  at  this  time  that  many  good 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  183 

men  of  both  parties  conceived  the  idea  of  a  "Union  Party,"  which 
would  be  formed  of  both  parties,  who  were  to  drop  all  partisan  division 
during  the  war  and  have  patriotism  as  the  only  plank  in  their  plat- 
form. This  was  a  highly  Utopian  idea,  worthy  of  noble-hearted  men, 
but  thoroughly  impracticable  and  taking  no  account  of  human  preju- 
dices and  ambitions,  or  of  the  fact  that  the  oil  and  water  of  Democ- 
racy and  Republicanism  would  not  mix. 

Early  in  the  year  there  was  a  call  for  a  Union  convention  in 
Clayton  county.  This  movement  was  fathered  by  Judge  Eliphalet 
Price  and  in  the  call  he  was  joined  by  many  prominent  men  of  both 
parties.  The  sentiment  expressed  was  of  absolute  devotion  to  the 
Union  and  the  desire  for  strictly  non-partisan  action.  This  move- 
ment gained  rapid  momentum  in  the  county.  At  Guttenberg  a  caucus 
was  held  and  at  McGregor  there  was  a  large  mass  meeting  which  was 
addressed  by  Judge  Baugh,  C.  F.  Remick,  Reuben  Noble,  John  T. 
Stoneman  and  D.  Hammer.  In  the  meantime  John  Garber,  as  chair- 
man of  the  Republican  county  committee,  called  a  convention,  and 
this  meeting,  which  was  held  in  Elkader  and  presided  over  by  H.  E. 
Newell,  elected  delegates  to  the  state  convention  and  resolved  that  the 
call  for  the  Union  convention  was  unwise,  but  instructed  the  central 
committee  to  abstain  from  calling  a  convention  for  the  nomination  of 
county  officers.  August  22  the  Union  mass  convention  was  held  and 
was  largely  attended,  both  by  Republicans  and  Democrats.  The  reso- 
lutions were  strongly  in  support  of  the  Union  and  opposed  the  agita- 
tion of  the  question  of  dividing  Clayton  county  and  the  making  of 
any  county  seat  contest  during  the  war.  Later,  the  Unionists  held  a 
second  convention  and  placed  candidates  in  nomination  for  county 
officers.  This  was  the  rock  upon  which  the  Union  party  split.  The 
majority  of  the  nominees  were  Democrats,  some  of  the  Republican 
wheel  horses  and  officials  were  left  oflf  the  ticket,  and  it  was  apparent 
that  the  Democrats  were  in  control.  With  this  state  of  affairs  the  Re- 
publicans soon  placed  a  ticket  in  the  field  and  the  issues  were  joined 
largely  along  the  old  party  lines.  This  drifting  back  into  party,  in 
spite  of  the  war,  took  place  in  the  state  as  well.  The  Republicans  of 
the  state  nominated  Kirkwood  for  Governor  and  resolved  strongly  for 
the  Union  and  approved  the  acts  of  Lincoln.  A  Union  state  conven- 
tion placed  a  ticket  in  the  field  and  took  high  ground  as  to  the  sup- 
port of  the  Union,  but  was  inclined  to  be  critical  and  to  cling  to 
the  idea  that  some  compromise  might  still  be  eflfected  with  the  South. 
At  this  convention  Reuben  Noble  was  nominated  for  Supreme  Judge, 
his  opponent  being  Judge  McHenry,  of  Des  Moines.  Noble  received 
150  votes  to  94  for  McHenry.  Mr.  Noble  declined  the  nomination,  as 
he  did  not  wish  to  oppose  his  friend,  Ralph  T.  Lowe,  the  Republican 
nominee.  The  Democrats  held  a  state  convention,  at  which  there  was 
a  split.  The  Mahoney  faction,  which  was  in  thorough  sympathy  with 
the  South,  leaving  the  convention.  The  Democrats  resolved  in  favor 
of  supporting  the  war,  but  divided  the  blame  for  the  conflict  equally 
between  northern  abolitionists  and  southern  radicals.  The  course  of 
Lincoln  was  viewed  with  alarm  as  tending  toward  a  military  despotism, 
and,  while  favoring  the  prosecution  of  the  war  to  preserve  the  Union, 
the  doctrine  of   state's   rights   was  maintained.     At  this  convention 


184  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Maturin  L.  Fisher  was  the  nominee  for  Lieutenant-Governor,  but,  like 
Mr.  Noble,  he  declined.  With  the  pronouncements  in  state  politics, 
it  is  easy  to  understand  that  those  at  heart  in  support  of  the  Union 
quickly  gravitated  to  the  Republican  party,  that  the  Union  party  was 
a  failure  and  that  those  opposed  to  the  acts  of  Lincoln  gradually  be- 
came lukewarm  in  support  of  the  war.  The  Clayton  county  election 
resulted  in  a  victory  of  nearly  two  to  one  for  Kirkwood.  All  the  Re- 
publican county  ticket  was  elected,  the  chief  fight  being  for  sheriff,  in 
which  John  Garber  (Rep.)  defeated  Jonathan  Kauffman  by  a  vote  of 
1,647  to  1,258.  Henry  Clay  Dean,  the  Mahoney  or  "Secesh"  candidate 
for  Governor,  received  but  50  votes  in  the  entire  county. 

Division  of  County  Proposed — In  1861  and  1862  there  was  con- 
siderable agitation  for  the  division  of  Allamakee  and  Clayton  counties, 
making  a  third  county  from  the  north  half  of  Clayton  and  the  south 
half  of  Allamakee.  In  the  summer  of  1861,  a  meeting  was  called  at 
Garnavillo  to  oppose  this  movement.  F.  Andros  acted  as  chairman  and 
Samuel  Murdock,  D.  C.  Rogers  and  F.  Andros  were  appointed  to  inter- 
rogate legislative  candidates  and  the  voters  agreed  to  support  no  one 
who  favored  division.  McGregor  quietly  supported  this  movement,  as 
did  Lansing,  which  hoped  to  be  the  county  seat  of  North  Allamakee. 
The  opposition  was  too  strong,  however,  and  the  members  from  this 
county  worked  against  division  in  the  legislature,  and,  later,  sup- 
ported a  law  forbidding  county  seat  elections  oftener  than  once  in 
three  years. 

Campaign  of  1862 — In  1862,  politics  were  comparatively  quiet. 
William  B.  Allison,  later  the  distinguished  senator  from  Iowa,  was 
nominated  for  Congress,  and  his  opponent  was  D.  A.  Mahoney,  one 
of  the  most  radical  southern  sympathizers  in  the  state.  The  only 
county  officer  elected  was  clerk  of  the  district  court  and  for  this  place 
H.  S.  Granger  had  no  opposition.  The  Democrats  were  in  a  hope- 
less minority  in  state  and  county,  and  the  election  was  devoid  of 
excitement.     AlHson  received  1,511  to  1,131  votes  cast  for  Mahoney. 

Peace  Party,  1863 — In  1863,  the  "Peace  Party"  had  its  rise.  It 
was  argued  that  the  war  was  a  failure  and  that  nothing  remained  but 
to  make  the  best  possible  terms  with  the  South,  many  advocating  that 
it  was  best  to  let  the  confederacy  go,  rather  than  to  prolong  a  costly 
and  futile  war.  This  peace  movement  stirred  the  most  vigorous  oppo- 
sition and  in  place  of  political  meetings  there  were  "Union  meetings" 
and  "Union  Clubs"  formed  all  over  the  county. 

With  the  progress  of  the  war,  with  its  fearful  toll  of  blood  and 
treasure,  the  resentment  against  the  secessionists  grew  to  a  white-heat 
and  with  it  came  the  increasing  demand  for  the  liberation  of  the  slaves. 
The  resolution  passed  by  the  Volga  City  Union  Club  reflects  the 
Union  sentiment  of  the  entire  county.  The  resolutions  follow :  "Re- 
solved that  censure  cast  upon  the  government  by  the  North  for  using 
the  sword  to  put  down  this  infernal  rebellion  when  it  is  evident  to 
everyone  that  it  can  be  done  in  no  other  way,  stimulates  and  encour- 
ages the  rebels  to  protract  the  struggle,  and  hold  on  in  their  mad 
career,  at  the  enormous  sacrifice  of  both  blood  and  treasure.  Resolved, 
That  we  will  never  consent  that  one  foot  of  territory,  within  our 
national  boundary,  shall  go  down  to  posterity  with  the  curse  of  slavery 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  185 

upon  it.  Resolved,  That  we  are  ready  to  make  almost  any  sacrifice 
in  our  power,  rather  than  undergo  the  anguish  of  witnessing  the  down- 
fall of  our  beloved  country,  and  with  it,  the  last  hope  of  the  oppressed 
throughout  the  earth."  J.  G.  Whitford  was  president  and  W.  A.  Pen- 
field  secretary  of  this  club.  The  people  were  warned  against  the 
Chicago  Times  and  the  Dubuque  Herald  as  dangerous,  disunion  news- 
papers. It  was  at  this  time  that  the  peace  convention  was  held,  to 
which  reference  has  already  been  made,  at  which  there  were  so  many 
radical  utterances  against  Lincoln  and  against  the  war. 

In  1863  the  Republicans  adopted  the  name  "Union,"  which  they 
had  refused  to  adopt  in  1861,  but  at  this  time  the  word  meant  not  a 
union  of  parties  but  the  support  of  the  "Union"  as  a  nation.  The 
Republicans  presented  the  name  of  Judge  E.  H.  Williams  as  a  candidate 
for  Supreme  Judge.  He  was  defeated  for  the  nomination  by  Judge 
J.  F.  Dillon.  This  caused  considerable  feeling  in  northern  Iowa  and 
especially  in  Clayton  county,  and  the  nomination  of  Col.  Stone  for 
Governor  was  not  popular.  The  Democratic  state  convention  criticised 
the  conduct  of  the  war  and,  while  maintaining  a  patriotic  attitude 
toward  the  Union,  was  strongly  in  favor  of  peace.  Maturin  L.  Fisher, 
of  Clayton  county,  was  the  Democratic  nominee  for  Governor,  but  he 
refused  to  run,  and  Gen.  J.  M.  Tuttle  was  the  nominee.  The  Demo- 
crats placed  a  full  legislative  and  county  ticket  in  the  field,  as  did 
the  Republicans,  who,  however,  went  under  the  name  of  the  Union 
party.  The  entire  Republican  ticket  was  elected  with  average  major- 
ities of  about  400.  In  this  election  J.  Briggs  ran  as  an  independent 
candidate  for  superintendent,  receiving  nearly  500  votes. 

Second  Lincoln  Campaign — In  1864  was  the  presidential  election, 
and  the  endorsement  of  Lincoln  was  the  great  question.  While  the 
victories  had  been  with  the  Union  arms,  Lee's  army  was  holding  out 
stubbornly,  and  the  loss  of  life  in  Grant's  army  was  appalling.  Many 
calls  for  troops  were  made,  and  these  necessitated  the  draft,  which 
was  highly  unpopular.  The  Democrats  nominated  Gen.  George  B. 
McClellan,  and  the  first  portrait  of  the  candidate  ever  used  in  a 
Qayton  county  paper  was  when  his  picture  appeared  at  the  head  of  a 
column  in  the  McGregor  Times.  D.  Baugh,  as  chairman,  called  a 
county  convention  of  "all  those  opposed  to  the  re-election  of  Mr. 
Lincoln  and  the  continuance  of  this  war  for  the  sole  purpose  of  freeing 
the  negroes  at  the  expense  of  the  lives  of  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
white  men,  and  imposing  upon  us  a  national  debt  too  onerous  to  be 
borne ;  and  all  those  in  favor  of  calling  a  national  convention  for  the 
purpose  of  restoring  peace  with  all  its  hallowed  influences."  The  dele- 
gates from  Mendon  township,  elected  under  this  call,  were  Door  D. 
Hoxsie,  John  T.  Stoneman,  William  Coss,  M.  Mathews,  Andrew 
Teets.  M.  O'Brien,  B.  Strouse,  T.  Beckwith,  A.  Hockhaus,  Sam  Peter- 
son, D.  Hammer,  D.  Baugh,  L.  Seals,  William  Huntting,  G.  S.  C.  Scott. 
The  Republicans  nominated  B.  T.  Hunt  as  district  elector,  H.  S. 
Granger  for  clerk  and  J.  Oglesbee  for  recorder.  At  this  election,  also, 
McGregor  made  a  try  for  the  county  seat.  Many  of  the  prominent  Re- 
publican leaders  of  the  state  spoke  in  this  county,  among  them  Governor 
Stone,  ex-Governor  Kirkwood,  William  B.  Allison  and  B.  T.  Hunt. 
The    Republican    majorities    in    the    county    averaged    500,    and    the 


l86  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

soldier  vote  added  about  300  more.  As  to  the  county  seat,  Elkader 
received  2,403  and  McGregor,  which  had  made  but  a  half-hearted  fight, 
received  1,609.     This  was  the  last  county  seat  election. 

Campaign  of  i86j — In  1865,  the  shadow  of  Lincoln's  death  lay 
heavy  on  the  hearts  of  all.  The  close  of  the  war  had  ended  criticism, 
and  the  course  of  Andrew  Johnson  as  president  had  not  as  yet  become 
acute.  These  things  combined  to  make  the  election  of  the  Republican 
ticket  a  foregone  conclusion.  In  this  emergency  the  Democrats  aban- 
doned their  party  name,  to  an  extent,  and  their  state  ticket  was  known 
as  the  Iowa  Soldiers'  ticket,  and  Gen.  T.  H.  Benton  was  the  candidate 
for  Governor.  He  spoke  at  Elkader,  and  his  chief  issue  was  opposition 
to  negro  suffrage.  The  nomination  of  Stone  as  Republican  candidate 
for  Governor  was  unpopular,  and  the  Elkader  Journal  bolted  that  part 
of  the  ticket.  Many  of  the  county  candidates  were  inclined  to  follow 
the  Journal's  lead,  and  leading  Republicans  sent  the  candidates  a  letter 
demanding  that  they  support  the  ticket.  This  demand  was  signed  by 
Thomas  Updegrafif,  Samuel  Merrill  and  others. 

Illustrating  the  peculiar  political  conditions  of  that  year,  is  the 
account  of  a  political  meeting  held  at  Elkader,  at  which  Reuben  Noble 
spoke  in  favor  of  Benton  and  his  platform.  Judge  Williams  opposed 
the  Benton  platform  but  favored  his  election  on  account  of  his  high 
character.  Judge  Murdock  spoke  in  favor  of  Stone  and  for  his  plat- 
form and  negro  suffrage.  He  also  attacked  Judge  Williams  and  Judge 
Noble  in  a  witty  speech.    E.  Odell  spoke  urging  the  election  of  Stone. 

The  Bentonites  held  a  county  convention  at  Garnavillo,  placing 
a  full  county  ticket  in  the  field  composed  of  both  Democrats  and 
Republicans.  Noble,  Williams  and  Eiboeck  lead  the  fight  against  Stone 
on  the  grounds  of  personal  unfitness.  Merrill,  Updegrafif,  Drummond 
and  Murdock  were  the  Stone  supporters.  For  sherifif,  Capt.  Elisha 
Boardman,  and  for  coroner,  H.  D.  Bronson,  had  no  opposition.  The 
opposition  to  Stone  caused  him  to  run  more  than  300  behind  his  ticket, 
his  majority  being  103,  while  Lieutenant-Governor  Gue,  Republican, 
also  received  451  majority.  The  entire  Republican  ticket  was  elected 
with  the  exception  of  Lieutenant  Hutchins,  who  was  defeated  for  rep- 
resentative by  William  Leffingwell  by  81  majority.  An  incident  of 
this  election,  in  those  days  when  the  ballots  were  printed  by  private 
parties,  was,  that  on  account  of  a  mistake  made  in  printing  tickets  at 
a  McGregor  office.  Judge  George  G.  Wright  lost  714  votes  in  this 
county  because  his  middle  initial  was  printed  "C." 

County  Affairs — The  population  of  Clayton  county  in  1865  was 
21,922.  There  were  nineteen  colored  inhabitants,  eleven  of  whom  lived 
in  McGregor  and  six  in  Giard.  There  were  but  two  incorporated  towns 
in  the  county,  Guttenberg  with  1,004  population,  and  McGregor  with 
2,008,  just  twice  the  size  of  Guttenberg.  The  population  by  townships 
was  as  follows:  Buena  Vista,  159;  Boardman,  965 ;  Cass,  1,010;  Clay- 
ton, 800;  Cox  Creek,  739;  Elk,  440;  Farmersburg,  1,087;  Garnavillo, 
1,179;  Giard,  1,106;  Grand  Meadow,  728;  Highland,  729;  Jefferson 
(not  including  Guttenberg)  1,068;  Lodomillo,  789;  Marion,  810;  Mal- 
lory,  871;  Millville,  656;  Mendon  (not  including  McGregor)  1,072; 
Monona,  1,468;  Reed,  853;  Sperry,  814;  Volga,  1,069;  Wagner,  808. 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  187 

The  Iowa  Gazeteer,  published  in  Chicago  in  1865,  gives  the  follow- 
ing description  of  the  towns  of  the  county  as  they  were  in  that  year: 
Guttenherg:  "The  first  municipal  election  was  held  in  April,  185 1. 
Since  that  time  the  growth  of  the  town  has  been  onward  and  upward. 
Every  year  has  witnessed  new  and  substantial  improvements  and  a 
large  increase  of  trade  and  business.  Since  the  incorporation  of  the 
town  large  sums  have  been  annually  expended  in  public  improvements. 
Good  roads  have  been  made,  leading  to  every  part  of  the  surrounding 
country.  The  town  has  an  excellent  steam  ferry  boat,  which,  during 
the  season  of  navigation,  plies  regularly  between  this  place  and  Glen 
Haven,  three  miles  up  the  river,  on  the  Wisconsin  side.  The  buildings 
are  mostly  of  stone,  of  which  material  an  excellent  quality  is  obtained 
from  the  bluflf  back  of  the  town.  There  are  now  in  place  seven  general 
stores,  two  groceries,  two  clothing  stores,  two  hardware,  stove  and 
tin  stores,  two  drugstores,  three  millinery  and  fancy  stores,  four  black- 
smith and  three  saddler  shops,  two  wagon  and  carriage  shops,  one 
gun  shop,  three  furniture  shops,  four  hotels,  five  breweries,  several 
warehouses,  two  flouring  mills  and  one  sawmill.  The  Lutheran  and 
Catholic  are  the  leading  church  denominations.  Guttenberg  annually 
ships  and  receives  large  quantities  of  produce  and  merchandise.  The 
bluffs  immediately  back  of  town  abound  in  lead  ore,  and  on  Miners 
creek,  within  two  or  three  miles  of  town,  several  rich  veins  of  mineral 
have  been  discovered  and  profitably  worked. 

"McGregor  is  67  miles  from  Dubuque  and  229  miles  northwest 
from  Chicago,  via  the  Chicago  &  Northwestern  and  the  Milwaukee  & 
Prairie  du  Chien  railways.  From  the  time  of  its  being  laid  out  as  a 
town,  and  the  settlement  of  the  country  west  and  northwest,  it  has 
enjoyed  the  benefit  of  an  exceedingly  active  trade.  One  would  scarcely 
credit  a  true  statement  of  the  marvelous  quantity  of  grain  and  produce 
that  is  shipped  via  this  point,  did  they  not  visit  the  town  during^  a 
busy  season,  and,  in  person,  see  the  streets  crowded  to  their  entire 
length  from  early  in  the  morning  till  late  in  the  evening  with  heavily 
laden  wagons,  four  abreast,  many  of  whose  owners  had  come  50.  100 
and  sometimes  200  miles  to  market.  Standing  at  the  foot  of  IMain 
street,  it  is  no  uncommon  sight  to  see  it  so  filled  to  its  furtherest 
extent  and  allowing  twenty  feet  for  each  wagon  and  horses  length 
(four  abreast),  we  find  over  i.ooo  teams  for  one  mile  alone.  This 
is  no  fancy  picture  nor  'fish  story,'  but  a  fact  that  thousands  have 
witnessed  daily.  Not  only  is  McGregor  a  great  grain  market,  but  it 
is  the  principal  depot  for  the  supply  of  household  furniture,  farming 
machinery,  wearing  apparel,  groceries  and  other  commodities.^  The 
business  of  the  place  is  by  the  following  establishments:  Six  dry 
goods,  three  drug,  three  hardware,  three  stove  and  tinware,  four  book 
and  stationery,  six  clothing,  three  furniture,  one  crockery  and  glass- 
ware, fifteen  grocery,  two  jewelry,  four  boot  and  shoe,  and  five  general 
stores.  There  are  over  twenty  establishments  for  the  purchase  and 
shipment  of  grain,  produce  and  game.  There  are  three  lumber  yards, 
one  planing  mill,  sash,  door  and  blind  factory,  one  gun  shop,  one  marble 
shop,  two  bakeries,  two  fruit  stores,  five  millineries,  three  real  estate 
offices,  five  implement  houses,  one  pump  factor\^  two  foundries  and 
machine  shops,  five  wagon  shops,  three  photograph  galleries,  one  grain 


1 88  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

elevator,  one  brewery  and  three  flouring  mills.  There  are  six  hotels, 
one  National  bank  and  two  weekly  newspapers,  the  Times  and  the 
News.  The  McGregor  Western  extends  westward  through  Clayton, 
Winneshiek,  Howard  and  Mitchell  counties  to  the  state  line,  there 
connecting  with  the  Minnesota  Central,  which  is  being  built  to  St.  Paul. 
The  road  is  already  completed  to  Decorah,  a  distance  of  60  miles, 
and  at  an  early  date  will  be  completed  to  the  rich  coal  regions  of  the 
Des  Moines  valley.  In  addition  to  rail  and  river  facilities,  McGregor 
is  connected  with  all  points  by  a  line  of  daily  stages.  The  Baptist, 
Catholic,  Congregational,  Lutheran,  Methodist  and  Presbyterian 
churches  have  organizations.  There  are  also  societies  of  Masons  and 
Odd  Fellows  in  a  flourishing  condition. 

"Elkader,  the  seat  of  justice,  is  a  flourishing  town  of  about  700 
inhabitants.  The  scenery  of  its  location  is  possessed  of  much  natural 
beauty.  The  table  land  on  which  the  business  portion  of  the  town  is 
built  rises  gradually  for  some  distance,  when  it  breaks  into  a  steep 
declivity  on  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  while  on  the  east  the  bank 
rises  more  rapidly  and  higher  before  the  table  land  is  reached,  which 
undulates  upward  to  a  summit  of  considerable  height.  Upon  these 
undulations  many  beautiful  residences  stand,  surrounded  with  grounds 
tastefully  arranged  and  adorned  with  shrubbery  and  trees,  many  of 
which  are  of  native  growth.  The  river,  flowing  with  a  rapid  current, 
affords  a  good  and  reliable  water  power,  which  is  to  some  extent 
improved,  a  dam  being  constructed  across  the  stream  at  this  point. 
There  is  one  large  flouring  mill,  built  of  rock  taken  from  the  neigh- 
boring quarries.  The  trade  of  the  town  is  flourishing,  being  repre- 
sented by  four  general  stores,  one  flouring  mill,  one  drug,  one  furniture, 
one  hardware  and  stove  store,  one  hotel,  one  printing  office,  together 
with  the  usual  number  of  blacksmith,  carpenter,  wagon  and  other 
shops.  There  are  Congregational,  Methodist,  Catholic  and  other 
churches.    The  Clayton  County  Journal  is  published  here. 

"Garnavillo  is  a  post  village  and  township  in  the  eastern  interior 
of  the  county.  Shipments  are  made  during  the  winter  months  via 
McGregor,  and  in  the  summer  principally  via  Clayton  and  Dunleith. 
There  are  two  good  flouring  mills  and  two  sawmills  on  Buck  creek, 
just  east  of  the  village ;  also  one  brewery,  one  hotel  and  several  stores 
in  the  town.  The  village  is  located  on  a  beautiful  and  very  productive 
prairie.  There  are  four  churches — Methodist,  Congregational,  German 
Lutheran  and  Catholic.  The  lodges  are  Masons,  Odd  Fellows  and 
Good  Templars.    The  estimated  population  is  500. 

"Clayton  is  on  the  east  bank  of  the  Mississippi,  10  miles  below 
McGregor  and  10  miles  above  Guttenberg.  The  site  is  partly  a  beau- 
tiful plat  of  ground  between  the  bluffs  and  the  river,  but  most  of  the 
residences  are  in  a  ravine  through  which  the  principal  street  runs 
from  the  river  back  onto  the  high  prairie.  The  town  is  easy  of  access 
from  the  interior,  and  has  one  of  the  best  steamboat  landings  on  the 
river.  It  is  the  principal  crossing  place  for  travel  between  northern 
Illinois,  southern  Wisconsin,  northern  Iowa  and  southern  Minnesota, 
there  being  good  roads  on  both  sides  of  the  river  and  a  steam  ferry 
boat  crossing  it  every  half  hour,  furnishing  ample  accommodation. 
The  village  contains  two  large  flouring  mills,  one  manufacturing  about 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY    DURING    WAR  189 

20,000  and  the  other  about  6,000  barrels  of  flour  per  annum;  four 
general  stores,  four  grocery  stores,  two  cabinet  shops,  one  foundry, 
three  lumber  yards  and  one  stave  and  heading  factory.  About  130,000 
bushels  of  wheat  are  shipped  annually.     Population  500. 

"Elkport,  a  post  village  in  the  southeast  part  of  Volga  township 
on  the  south  bank  of  the  Turkey,  at  the  confluence  of  Volga  river, 
is  22  miles  by  stage  nearly  north  from  Dyersville.  There  are  three 
general  stores,  one  flour  mill  and  two  sawmills  in  the  village ;  also  one 
flour  and  sawmill  and  a  woolen  factory,  Isaac  Otis  &  Son,  proprietors, 
within  two  and  a  half  miles  of  the  village.  There  is  a  good  public 
school  and  two  churches,  German  Catholic  and  German  Lutheran. 
Population  about  200. 

"Straivberry  Point,  otherwise  known  as  Franklin,  in  Cass  town- 
ship sixteen  miles  northwest  from  Manchester.  The  first  settlements 
were  made  in  this  vicinity  about  fifteen  years  since,  by  Wood,  Grannis, 
Stearns,  Blake  and  others.  It  now  contains  about  250  inhabitants,  with 
six  stores,  one  brewery,  one  large  flour  mill,  which  runs  with  water 
power  and  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $20,000,  and  three  churches.  Baptist, 
Methodist  and  Universalist.  The  Masons  and  Good  Templars  each 
have  a  lodge. 

"Monona  is  on  the  McGregor  Western  Railway,  thirteen  miles  west 
of  McGregor.  It  contains  two  churches,  five  general  stores,  one  drug 
store  and  one  steam  sawmill.     Population  500. 

"Littleport  is  a  small  post  village  on  the  Volga  river,  nine  miles 
south  of  Elkader.  It  has  one  distillery,  one  general  store  and  one  saw- 
mill.    Population  75. 

"Giard  is  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  county,  six  and  one-half 
miles  from  McGregor  and  fourteen  miles  north  of  Elkader.  It  has 
two  churches,  two  general  stores,  one  flour  mill  and  one  sawmill.  Pop- 
ulation 70. 

"Yankee  Settlement  is  in  the  southwestern  portion  of  the  county, 
eighteen  miles  from  Elkader.  It  has  one  Methodist  church,  one  general 
store  and  four  sawmills. 

"Volga  City  is  a  post  village  in  the  western  part  of  the  county, 
located  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Volga  river.  It  has  two  country  stores, 
one  mill  and  a  hotel. 

"Ceres,  Communia,  Council  Hill,  Cox  Creek,  Farmersburg,  Gem, 
Grand  Meadow,  Henderson's  Prairie,  Honey  Creek,  Millville,  National 
Road  and  Sigel  are  also  villages  and  post  roads  of  this  county." 

Sidelights  on  Progress — With  this  review  of  the  county  it  is  well 
to  close  the  history  of  this  war  period,  except  to  mention  some  of  the 
incidents  which  bore  upon  the  life  of  the  people  and  the  future  of  the 
county.  Elkader  suflfered  considerable  inconvenience  and  loss  of  trade 
on  account  of  the  poor  construction  of  the  bridge.  Appropriation  was 
made  for  strengthening  one  end  of  the  bridge,  but  by  the  time  this  was 
completed  it  was  found  that  the  other  end  was  untrustworthy,  so  that 
an  appropriation  had  to  be  made  to  reinforce  that  end.  In  the  mean- 
time the  mill  was  not  in  commission  and,  as  there  was  no  thoroughfare 
to  the  market  towns  on  the  river,  Elkader  was  largely  avoided.  Neither 
the  bridge  nor  the  mill  were  open  to  the  public  until  1863.  In  July, 
1861,  the  county  had  a  new  attorney  in  the  person  of  S.  T.  Woodward, 


190  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

who  located  in  Elkader  and  afterwards  built  the  stone  mansion  which 
now  overlooks  the  city.  It  was  not  until  1862  that  it  was  voted  to 
restrain  sheep  and  swine  from  running  at  large,  and  then  it  was  noted 
that  posses  of  citizens  had  to  be  called  upon  to  enforce  it.  In  May, 
1862,  Judge  Williams  held  court  at  Elkader,  and  the  membership  of 
the  bar  is  given  as  Reuben  Noble,  Samuel  Murdock,  J.  O.  Crosby, 
E.  Odell,  B.  T.  Hunt,  Thomas  Updegraff,  S.  T.  Woodward,  C.  F. 
Remick,  D.  Baugh,  T.  Beckwith,  J.  T.  Stoneman,  Alonzo  Brown,  S.  F. 
Peck,  A.  J.  Jordan,  C.  W.  Richardson  and  J,  W.  Moore.  At  this  time 
the  trial  of  Livingood  and  Delilah  Telyea,  on  a  change  of  venue  from 
Winneshiek  county,  for  the  murder  of  Telyea  created  much  interest. 
The  speeches  of  Noble  for  the  defense  and  M.  McGlathery  for  the 
prosecution  were  noteworthy,  and  the  proceedings  of  the  trial,  together 
with  these  speeches,  were  printed  in  pamphlet  form  and  sold  for 
twenty-five  cents  each. 

In  October,  1863,  two  new  postoffices  were  established:  Sigel, 
in  Reed  township,  with  Mr.  Palmer  as  postmaster,  and  Wagner  post- 
office.  In  the  same  year  the  rush  to  California  took  the  place  of  the 
old  Pike's  Peak  craze,  and  many  caravans  started  from  Clayton  county 
on  the  long  overland  journey  to  the  coast.  Two  parties  left  Garnavillo 
in  April,  1863.  They  were  D.  G.  Rogers'  company  and  Preece's  com- 
pany. H.  T.  Smart  and  John  Uriell  went  with  them.  The  two  com- 
panies had,  between  them  fifteen  horses,  eight  mules  and  seven  wagons, 
and  were  fully  equipped  for  the  overland  journey.  While  there  was 
much  feeling  between  the  Union  men  and  the  Copperheads,  the  only 
violence  occurred  in  Mallory  township  where  an  attempt  was  made  to 
break  up  the  singing  school  at  Pott's  school  house  and  to  ride  the 
teacher  on  a  rail.  Shots  were  fired  and  the  school  house  was  stoned, 
but  no  one  was  injured  and  no  particular  damage  done.  This  dis- 
turbance was  laid  to  the  Copperheads,  with  how  much  reason  is  not 
known.  In  July,  1863,  occurred  the  murder  of  a  man  named  Schutte 
at  Guttenberg.  He  went  to  the  home  of  his  former  wife,  a  Mrs.  Heller, 
and  there  was  set  upon  by  her  two  sons,  who  attacked  him  with  an 
axe  and  knives  and  chopped  him  almost  to  pieces.  There  was  much 
excitement  at  Guttenberg  over  this  brutal  murder.  The  many  enlist- 
ments caused  a  great  scarcity  in  farm  labor  and,  in  March,  1864, 
citizens  of  Farmersburg  met  to  consider  this  problem.  G.  B.  Wakeman 
was  president  of  this  meeting  and  J.  E.  Corlett  secretary,  and  a  fund 
was  raised  for  the  encouragement  of  foreign  immigration  to  the  county. 

Death  of  R.  R.  Read — In  April,  1864,  the  county  lost  one  of  its 
best  known  and  most  beloved  pioneers  in  the  person  of  Robert  R. 
Read.  The  funeral  services  were  attended  by  people  from  all  over  the 
county.  Resolutions  were  passed  and  the  following  biography  and 
eulog}^  was  printed:  "Robert  R.  Read  was  born  Aug.  31,  1790,  in 
Norfolk  county,  England,  and  emigrated  to  America  in  1817,  and 
first  settled  in  Philadelphia.  Here  he  first  learned  that,  far  away, 
towards  the  evening  sun,  across  majestic  rivers,  and  over  lofty  moun- 
tains, there  was  a  widespread  land,  skirting  upon  either  shore  of  a 
great  river.  Young,  ardent,  brave,  daring,  resolute  and  in  the  vigor 
of  manhood,  full  of  wild  adventure,  he  turned  his  face  toward  the 
great  west,  and  arrived  on  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  in  1827. 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  I9I 

"In  company  with  Govenor  Dodge,  of  Wisconsin,  he  made  his  way 
to  the  lead  mines,  where  they  both  made  a  settlement  in  what  is  now 
the  county  of  Grant.  At  this  time  the  whole  of  that  vast  and  fertile 
tract  of  country  lying  between  the  Wisconsin  on  the  north,  the  Kas- 
kaskia  on  the  south,  and  embracing  the  rich  valley  of  Rock  river,  was 
but  sparsely  settled.  Here  and  there  along  the  streams  clustered  the 
few  log  huts  of  the  hunter  and  the  trapper,  men  who  had  early  bid 
adieu  to  civilization  and  refinement  in  some  far-off  eastern  home,  and 
who  by  their  acts  were  fast  precipitating  the  country  into  a  cruel, 
bloody  and  desperate  border  war.  Others,  as  bold  and  daring  as 
themselves,  prompted  by  the  prospect  of  sudden  riches  and  wealth,  had 
clustered  around  the  lead  mines  of  Illinois  and  Wisconsin.  To  expel 
both  of  these,  that  brave  and  daring  old  chief,  Blackhawk,  in  the  year 
of  1812,  raised  the  flag  of  war  and,  for  a  long  time,  desolated  this 
fair  and  lovely  portion  of  the  great  and  fertile  west.  Among  the 
first,  our  old  friend,  Captain  Robert  R.  Read,  took  up  arms  to  defend 
the  settlers.  General  Dodge  commissioned  him  major  of  the  Fifth 
infantry.  Grant  county  volunteers.  He  accompanied  that  general 
throughout  all  his  campaigns  against  the  Indians,  acting  most  of  the 
time  as  one  of  his  aides,  and  was  by  his  side  at  the  final  battle 
of  the  Bad  Axe,  which  terminated  the  war,  dethroned  Blackhawk  and 
restored  peace  to  the  country. 

"After  the  war  was  over  he  returned  to  his  family  to  pursue  the 
peaceful  avocations  of  life ;  but  he  was  not  long  here  when  General 
Dodge  again  commissioned  him  sheriff  of  Grant  county,  the  county  he 
had  assisted  in  defending  against  the  savages.  That  same  love  of 
adventure  that  prompted  him  from  the  first  to  encounter  the  trials  and 
hardships  of  a  frontier  life  again  took  possession  of  his  mind.  He 
resigned  the  office  of  sheriff,  crossed  the  Mississippi  and  settled  on  the 
soil  of  Clayton  county  in  1839,  where  he  remained  until  death  closed 
his  eyes  forever.  Soon  after  he  came  to  Clayton  county  he  was  chosen 
clerk  of  the  commissioners  court,  and  it  was  here  that  his  talents  and 
ability  as  an  officer  were  first  discovered  by  the  people  of  Clayton 
county,  and  which  laid  the  foundation  for  that  long  and  useful  career 
of  public  life  which  he  afterwards  passed  among  us.  At  the  time  he 
was  first  chosen  clerk,  the  financial  affairs  of  the  county  were  in  a 
wretched  state.  Warrants  to  an  amount  which  no  one  knew  had 
been  issued,  no  books  had  been  kept,  no  records  had  been  made,  and 
everything  which  concerned  the  county  was  in  a  mass  of  confusion. 
He  purchased  records,  traced  out  the  indebtedness,  restrained  the  use- 
less and  extravagant  issue  of  county  orders,  and  laid  the  foundation 
of  the  commissioners  court  on  a  basis  that  gave  prosperity  to  the 
county.  In  this  position,  the  most  responsible  of  any  in  the  county, 
he  remained  for  many  years,  and  until  the  board  was  abolished  for 
the  office  of  county  judge.  After  leaving  the  office  he  was  immediately 
elected  treasurer  and  recorder  of  the  county,  and  re-elected,  again  and 
again,  as  often  as  he  wished.  Sometimes  he  had  the  most  determined 
opposition,  at  other  times  he  would  pass  over  the  course  alone.  At  last 
he  declined  a  re-election,  preferring  a  more  active  life,  and  he  left 
the  office  regretted  by  all.  But  the  people  of  Qayton  county  would 
not  suffer  him  to  remain  long  out  of  service,  and  they  elected  him 


192  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

without  opposition  clerk  of  the  district  court,  and  here  in  this  office 
we  again  see  the  master  hand  of  business.  But  old  age  was  creeping 
on  him,  a  long  and  useful  life  now  drawing  to  a  close,  and  he  felt 
his  decline.  Tired  and  worn  out  in  the  public  service,  he  resiifned 
the  office  and  retired  forever  to  private  life,  with  more  honors  than  fall 
to  the  lot  of  many  men  to  wear." 

Minor  Events — Among  the  minor  events  showing  the  trend  of  the 
county  are  the  following:  In  April,  1864,  an  effort  to  close  the  saloons 
and  business  houses  of  Elkader  on  Sunday  created  a  near  riot.  There 
were  but  three  butcher  shops  in  the  county  at  that  time,  on  account 
of  the  high  cost  of  beef ;  the  fish  story  flourished,  and  one  pickerel 
weighing  loj^  pounds  and  another  weighing  14  were  speared  by  boys 
at  Elkader.  In  1864  it  is  reported  that  Postmaster  Snedigar  was 
being  assisted  in  the  postoffice  by  his  two  daughters,  as  both  his  sons 
had  gone  to  war. 

In  June  of  the  same  year  the  McGregor  clans  advanced  upon  the 
court  house  to  protest  against  the  establishment  of  a  ferry  between 
North  McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien.  Reuben  Noble  argued  for 
the  ferry  and  E.  Odell  against  it,  and  it  was  defeated  by  the  board  by 
a  majority  of  one  vote. 

In  August,  1864,  a  nest  of  thieves  was  located  near  Elkport  by 
Sheriff  Garber  and  his  deputy,  Melvin  Hodgkins.  A  tailor  named 
Schornagel  was  found  to  be  selling  goods  at  less  than  cost,  and  these 
goods  were  identified  as  some  stolen  from  Dyersville  and  $1,500  worth 
of  goods  were  recovered  at  his  house.  The  premises  of  a  saloonkeeper 
named  Mayer  were  searched  and  between  $700  and  $800  worth  of  dry 
goods  were  found  in  a  manure  heap  back  of  his  barn.  At  the  home 
of  Seels,  a  former  saloonkeeper,  jewelry  to  the  value  of  $1,000  was 
found  in  the  bedding. 

At  Elkader  an  excellent  school  was  boasted  under  the  direction  of 
Mrs.  Bowers,  who  was  described  as  a  lady  of  rare  attainments.  Several 
small  circuses  had  been  advertised  before  this  time,  but  the  first 
big  show  was  that  of  Yankee  Robinson,  which  came  to  Elkader  and  to 
Strawberry  Point  in  September,  1864.  This  circus  consisted  not  only 
of  acrobatic  feats,  but  of  panoramas  and  tableaux.  It  was  about  this 
time  that  A.  Ringling,  father  of  the  Ringling  Brothers,  noted  through- 
out the  world  as  circus  men,  advertised  that  he  would  change  the 
location  of  his  harness  shop  in  McGregor.  It  was  not  until  October, 
1864,  that  the  big  mill  at  Elkader  was  again  ready  for  regular  business. 
The  building  is  described  as  five  stories  high.  E.  Wagner  was  superin- 
tendent, and  the  mill  was  owned  by  L.  V.  Davis  and  L.  A.  Beardsley, 
who  had  just  purchased  the  Thompson  interest  and  moved  to  Elkader. 

In  1865  there  were  two  destructive  floods,  one  in  February  and 
one  in  March.  The  river  at  Elkader  was  described  as  being  the  highest 
ever  known,  and  considerable  damage  was  done  along  the  Turkey  and 
the  Volga,  while  at  North  McGregor,  Bloody  Run  destroyed  the  tracks 
of  the  McGregor  &  Western.  During  this  year  there  was  continued 
agitation  for  the  establishment  of  a  woolen  mill  at  Elkader.  The  fact 
that  there  were  no  transportation  facilities  and  but  few  sheep  did  not 
deter  the  promoters,  who  urged  it  for  many  months.  The  Elkader 
brewery   was   established   in   June,    1865.      Of   it  the   Journal   says: 


DOMESTIC    HISTORY   DURING    WAR  I93 

"Work  has  already  commenced  to  erect  a  brewery  on  Bridge  street 
near  the  bluff  on  the  west  side  of  the  river.  A  Mr.  Schmidt,  residing 
near  Garnavillo,  is  building  it,  and  it  is  intended  to  be  an  extensive 
affair,  and  Mr.  Schmidt  is  said  to  have  plenty  of  money  to  build  it. 
Judging  from  the  quantity  of  beer  annually  consumed  in  this  and 
adjoining  towns,  an  enterprise  of  this  kind  will  pay  well." 

On  November  19,  occurred  the  death  of  Mrs.  Mary  Lowe  Price, 
the  wife  of  Judge  Eliphalet  Price,  a  woman  who  had  shared  with  this 
pioneer  the  hardships  and  deprivations  of  the  early  days  and  who  was 
dearly  beloved  throughout  the  county.  Of  her  the  Elkader  Journal 
says,  "The  large  concourse  of  friends  that  attended  her  funeral  at 
Garnavillo  attests  to  the  esteem  in  which  she  was  held.  Mrs.  Price 
came  here  at  an  early  day,  when  but  few  other  women  were  in  the 
county  and  her  death  will  be  lamented  by  those  who  knew  her  then. 
She  was  one  of  those  indomitable  persevering,  truly  Christian  women, 
to  whom  society  owes  so  much  of  its  pleasures.  In  her  death  her 
husband,  Hon.  E.  Price,  has  lost  a  faithful  wife  and  the  county  a  kind 
friend,  for  such  was  she  to  all.  All  who  ever  knew  her  speak  naught 
but  praise  and  all  mourn  her  loss." 

The  last  of  the  great  fires  visited  McGregor  in  December,  1865. 
The  blaze  originated  in  the  postoffice;  twenty-eight  buildings  were 
destroyed  and  the  loss  estimated  at  $100,000.  In  the  columns  of  the 
Journal  is  given  mention  of  the  young  men  who  are  growing  up  to 
take  the  places  of  their  distinguished  fathers  in  the  annals  of  this 
county.  The  debating  society  was  organized  at  Elkader  with  Buel 
Knapp  as  president,  R.  E.  Price,  secretary;  E.  A.  Crary,  editor  and 
critic,  and  P.  C.  Young,  treasurer. 

In  November,  1865,  the  county  poor  farm  was  opened  in  Read 
township.  There  were  eight  inmates — six  men  and  two  women.  There 
were  thirty-five  acres  of  land  under  cultivation  and  a  garden  of  four 
acres  was  to  be  put  in.  It  was  expected  to  rent  the  remaining  land 
at  a  crop  rental  of  one-third.  With  this  the  history  of  the  war  period, 
both  as  to  the  war  itself  and  as  to  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  county, 
is  brought  to  a  close ;  and  it  will  be  seen  that,  in  spite  of  the  cost  of  the 
war,  in  men  and  money,  Clayton  county  had  not  only  held  its  own  but 
had  gained  in  wealth  and  influence  and  in  all  the  elements  of  civiliza- 
tion. 


CHAPTER  IX 


RECONSTRUCTION  PERIOD— 1865- 1870 

EVENTS  OF   1866 ANNALS  OF   186/ — DEATH  OF  ALONZO  BROWN — DEATH 

OF    JAMES    MCGREGOR,    JR. — INCOMES    OF     1 868 HAGERTY    MURDER — 

RIVER    TRAFFIC — COURT    HOUSE — FENIANISM — HOP    INDUSTRY SOME 

ELKADER    FIRSTS — COUNTY    AFFAIRS AMONG    THE    TEACHERS — TOWN 

PROGRESS POLITICAL    HISTORY — MERRILL    FOR    GOVERNOR — CAMPAIGN 

OF  1 868- 1 869. 

THE  period  after  the  war  was  one  of  reconstruction  not  only 
politically,  but  in  industrial  lines.  The  soldiers  returned  from 
the  front,  the  swords  were  converted  into  pruning  hooks  and 
the  volunteers,  as  well  as  might  be,  took  up  the  thread  of  their  own 
lives.  After  the  excitement  of  the  war  the  last  half  of  this  decade  seems 
uninteresting  but  it  witnessed  a  steady  growth  for  all  the  county.  The 
enterprise  of  the  people,  sometimes  misdirected,  but  nevertheless 
energetic,  is  shown  in  many  ways.  In  1866  a  stock  company  was 
formed  to  build  propeller  and  flatboats  to  navigate  the  Turkey  from 
Elkport  to  its  mouth.  J.  S.  Lewis  backed  this  scheme  and  a  Mr. 
Howard  was  the  ship-builder.  Charles  Simmons  established  a  new 
record  by  driving  a  stage  from  Elkader  to  Dyersville  in  seven  hours 
and  the  people  thought  they  were  quite  metropolitan.  The  growing 
wealth  of  the  county  is  illustrated  by  the  fact  that,  in  1866,  three  of  the 
prominent  Germans,  having  accumulated  enough  so  they  could,  visited 
the  land  of  their  birth  and  Jacob  Nicklaus,  R.  Meuth  of  Buena  Vista 
and  G.  T.  Weist  of  Guttenberg  visited  the  Fatherland.  In  this  year 
also  the  Farmers  Mutual  Fire  &  Lightning  Insurance  Company  was 
formed  by  the  Germans  of  Cox  Creek  and  Volga.  The  executive  com- 
mittee was  F.  W.  Hockhaus,  Joseph  Stich  and  Charles  Cords  and  Louis 
Arnold  was  secretary.  Values  at  the  time  are  shown  by  the  sale  of  the 
E.  Price  farm  near  Guttenberg  for  $5,600. 

Events  of  1866 — The  most  stirring  event  of  1866  was  the  assault 
upon  a  German  farmer  near  Farmersburg  by  an  Allamakee  county 
desperado  at  which  time  Clayton  county  came  its  nearest  to  seeing  real 
mob  violence,  for  the  German  farmers  organized  for  lynching  purposes 
and  would  have  carried  out  their  purpose  had  they  not  been  assured 
that  justice  would  prevail. 

In  1866  the  county  lost  two  of  its  pioneers.  Jacob  Nicklaus  died 
on  June  7.    He  was  one  of  the  Germans  driven  to  this  country  by  the 


196  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Revolution  and  came  to  Clayton  county  through  the  influence  of  the 
Western  Settlement  Society,  in  1853.  He  made  his  home  at  Guttenberg 
and  was  active  in  the  ranks  of  the  Republican  party,  being  elected 
treasurer  and  recorder,  in  1859,  ^^^  serving  until  January  i,  1866. 
He  died  at  Elkader,  when  but  44  years  of  age.  Of  him  it  was  said: 
"Almost  every  man  in  the  county  knew  him  personally,  and  none  knew 
him  that  did  not  respect  him.  In  his  official  duties  he  was  untiring  and 
obliging.  He  was  honest,  frank,  and  straightforward  in  all  his  duties 
and  all  agree  that  benevolence,  honesty  and  integrity  were  among  his 
cardinal  virtues."  Another  pioneer  to  pass  away  at  this  time  was  John 
Downie,  one  of  the  early  supervisors  of  the  county  who  came  to  this 
country  from  Scotland,  reaching  here  in  1838.  He  was  one  of  the 
"war  Democrats"  who  affiliated  with  the  Republican  party  when  the 
war  for  Union  broke  out.  He  left  a  respected  memory  and  his 
descendants  have  been  honored  citizens  of  the  county. 

In  July,  1866,  the  county  was  visited  by  a  great  freshet  which  did 
much  damage  to  buildings  and  to  crops.  It  is  said  that  "Turkey  river 
could  be  heard  thundering  a  mile  distant."  The  bridge  over  Pony 
creek  on  the  McGregor  road  was  swept  away  and  stage  communications 
stopped.  At  McGregor  the  main  street  was  filled  with  drift  wood 
and  lumber  and  the  merchants  sustained  heavy  damage.  In  October 
the  county  was  shocked  by  a  number  of  accidents  happening  together. 
Edward,  the  13-year-old  son  of  Reuben  Noble,  was  killed,  being  shot 
through  the  head  while  hunting.  In  Elkader,  William  Satterlie  was 
killed  by  being  struck  on  the  head  by  refuse  brick  thrown  from  the 
top  of  Davis  &  Co.'s  store ;  while,  in  Wagner  township,  John  Wilkie 
was  killed  by  having  his  neck  broken  in  a  fall  from  a  haystack. 

In  November,  1866,  the  valuation  of  the  county  is  given  as  $5,- 
351,844,  a  gain  of  more  than  $1,000,000  within  a  year. 

DEATH  OF  ELISHA  BOARDMAN 

Near  the  close  of  the  year  1866  occurred  the  death  of  Captain 
Elisha  Boardman,  then  sheriff  of  the  county.  Captain  Boardman 
was  a  native  of  Vermont  and  came  to  this  county  in  1840.  He  was 
active  in  the  enlistment  of  the  Clayton  county  company  of  the  Twenty- 
first  Iowa  and  his  act  of  bravery  upon  the  field  of  battle  has  already 
been  mentioned.  He  was  very  popular  with  the  men  of  his  command 
and  he  was  elected  sheriff  by  a  practically  unanimous  vote.  At  his 
death  H.  D.  Bronson,  coroner,  acted  as  sheriff,  temporarily  and  the 
board  then  appointed  James  Davis. 

EVENTS  OF  1867 

In  1867  a  number  of  changes  occurred  in  the  Elkader  Journal. 
Colonel  Eiboeck  retired  and  was  succeeded  by  Lyman  L.  Ayers,  who 
was  editor  for  two  weeks  when  he  was  succeeded  by  O.  H.  Mills.  He 
left  in  another  two  weeks  and,  by  February,  Colonel  Eiboeck  was  back 
at  his  post  being  urged  by  citizens  of  both  parties  who  raised  a  fund 
for  the  enlargement  of  the  paper  which  was  done  in  May.    The  Journal 


RECONSTRUCTION    PERIOD 1865-187O  197 

is  careful  to  conceal  the  reason  for  these  sudden  changes  but  enough  is 
hinted  to  show  that  there  must  have  been  a  sensation.  In  1867,  there 
was  another  attempt  to  revive  interest  in  the  soldiers'  cenotaph  project. 
This  came  to  nothing  although  there  were  many  publications  concerning 
it  and  Judge  Price  suggested  that  a  lottery  be  held  for  the  purpose. 
Later  the  board  of  supervisors  petitioned  the  legislature  to  permit 
counties  to  appropriate  $5000  for  a  soldiers'  monument.  Clayton  was 
one  of  the  first  counties  to  propose  this  patriotic  action.  The  mill 
on  the  Volga  river  was  built  in  1867,  by  Reuth,  Meder  and  Grotewohl 
at  a  cost  of  $20,000.  Mr.  Flenniken  was  the  contractor  and  mill- 
wright. 

Death  of  Alonso  Brown — The  county  lost  two  of  its  prominent 
men  in  1868,  one  of  them  being  Alonzo  Brown,  who  was  one  of  the 
foremost  educators  of  the  county.  Of  him  it  was  said:  "A  better  man 
never  lived  in  Clayton  county.  His  education  and  talent  placed  him 
often  in  a  position  to  serve  the  public  which  he  always  did  cheerfully 
and  without  hesitation.  He  was  the  most  unselfish  man  we  ever  knew 
— a  true  philanthropist,  in  the  broadest  sense  of  the  term.  Deeply  felt 
will  be  his  loss  wherever  he  was  known."  He  was  the  first  superin- 
tendent of  public  instruction,  serving  in  1858  and  1859.  Speaking 
of  him,  Mr.  John  Everall  said :  "At  the  time  of  his  election  he  was 
comparatively  a  stranger  and  for  his  nomination  and  election,  the 
friends  of  education  were  in  a  large  measure  indebted  to  Judge  Mur- 
dock.  During  the  war,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  teachers'  asso- 
ciation and  he  was  prominent  at  all  educational  gatherings.  He  was 
a  provost  marshal  during  the  war.  He  did  a  great  work  for  Clayton 
county  in  putting  into  effect  the  excellent  school  laws,  formulated  by 
Maturin  L.  Fisher,  as  state  superintendent." 

Death  of  James  McGregor— Knoihtv  death,  at  this  time,  was  that 
of  James  McGregor.  Mr.  McGregor  was  possessed  of  strong  character 
and  was  recognized  as  a  man  of  force  and  ability.  The  law  suit  in 
which  he  was  engaged  for  fifteen  years,  over  the  McGregor  estate, 
caused  him  to  be  embittered  and  his  interests  were  antagonistic  to 
those  of  many  citizens  of  the  county,  and  thus,  while  he  was  respected, 
he  did  not  have  a  place  in  the  affections  of  the  county  such  as  was 
accorded  Alonzo  Brown  or  Mrs.  R.  R.  Read,  whose  death  occurred 
in  November,  1867,  not  long  after  that  of  her  honored  husband. 

The  whole  county  mourned  the  death  of  Mrs.  Read  whose  name 
was  synonymous  with  hospitality  and  kindness.  Regarding  this  couple 
the  McGregor  Times  says:  "In  the  year  1838,  they  halted  upon  the 
beautiful  prairie  about  five  miles  south  of  Garnavillo,  and  here  they 
reared  up  their  children  and  made  for  themselves  a  loving  home.  To 
their  dwelling  the  weary  hunter  and  way  worn  traveler  repaired  to 
seek  shelter  from  the  storm  and  appease  his  hunger.  The  latch-string 
was  never  pulled  in,  and  a  hearty  welcome  awaited  the  adventurer  at 
their  fireside.  Mrs.  Read  could  not  long  survive  her  husband,  and 
after  a  good  long  life,  she  calmly  laid  her  head  upon  her  pillow,  gave 
a  last  parting  blessing  to  human  kind,  and  while  her  lips  were  articulat- 
ing the  last  words,  her  gentle  spirit  passed  away  to  meet,  as  she  often 
said,  her  Robin  in  eternal  bliss." 

Incomes     in     1868 — That     Clayton     county,     and     particularly 


198  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

McGregor,  were  prosperous  is  shown  by  the  figures  given  for  the 
income  tax  in  1868.  Incomes  of  $1,000  and  under  were  exempt  and 
the  figures  show  incomes  over  that  amount.  As  these  statements 
were  made  for  purposes  of  taxation,  unless  human  nature  has  changed 
greatly  since  that  time,  it  is  safe  to  presume  that  they  were  not  over- 
estimated. According  to  this  report  Joe  Reynolds  of  "Diamond  Jo" 
fame,  had  the  largest  income,  it  amounting  to  $8,000  per  year ;  among 
the  others  of  considerable  income  were  J.  S.  Beerbaum  $2,561,  James 
F.  Basset  $4,000,  C.  S.  Bell  $2,350,  E.  R.  Barron  $2,151,  G.  C.  Cone 
$2,135,  E.  Egbert  $2,091,  J.  N.  Gilchrist  $2,515,  W.  I.  Gilchrist  $3,103, 
William  F.  Hunting,  $4,000,  A.  T.  Jones  $2,271,  O.  McCraney  %2.,2'j'], 
Reuben  Noble  $3,005,  Henry  Reubel  $4,973,  J.  T.  Stoneman  $2,280, 
Henry  Webb  $2,414.  With  such  incomes,  on  the  modest  scale  of  living 
then  prevalent,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  attorneys  of  McGregor  could 
tender  Judge  Milo  McGlathery  a  banquet  at  which  champagne  was 
a  prominent  feature.  A  part  of  the  exuberance  of  wealth  of  the  time 
is  shown  in  the  project  to  dam  the  Turkey  river  to  render  it  fit  for 
navigation. 

A  prominent  citizen  dying  in  this  year,  1868,  was  John  Woodward 
of  Farmersburg.  He  was  born  in  Vermont  and  purchased  land  at 
National  in  1848.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than  ordinary  mental  power, 
of  unimpeachable  character  and  of  unflinching  fideUty  to  his  convic- 
tions. He  served  as  Justice  of  the  Peace  but  it  is  said  of  him  that 
he  settled  almost  all  of  his  cases  out  of  court.  The  only  serious  accident 
recorded  during  the  year  was  when,  in  December,  three  sledge  loads 
of  passengers  being  transferred  from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  North 
McGregor,  broke  through  the  ice  and  a  little  child  was  drowned.  The 
year  closed  with  harder  times  and  the  merchants  of  the  county  com- 
plained of  unsatisfactory  holiday  trade. 

The  last  days  of  the  year  were  saddened  by  the  sudden  death  of 
Captain  T.  G.  Drips  of  Clayton.  He  ate  breakfast  as  usual  with  the 
family  and  went  to  the  river  for  water  for  his  team.  Being  gone 
longer  than  usual,  he  was  looked  for,  and  found  dead,  reclining  against 
a  board  pile  along  the  river.  Mr.  Drips  was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in 
1820.  He  served  with  distinguished  bravery  as  an  orderly  sergeant  in 
the  Mexican  war,  and  came  to  Garnavillo  in  1849.  He  served  as  deputy 
sheriff  and  was  for  four  years  sheriff  of  Clayton  county.  He  was  the 
captain  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Iowa  and  made  a  good  record,  resigning 
after  two  years'  service  on  account  of  ill-health. 

The  Hagerty  Murder — In  1869,  the  Hagerty  murder  furnished 
one  of  the  greatest  sensations  in  the  criminal  record  of  the  county. 
The  circumstances  of  this  triple  murder  were  very  mysterious  and,  but 
for  an  accident,  it  would  have  gone  undiscovered  and  unpunished. 
While  seining  for  fish  in  a  small  slough  above  Prairie  du  Chien,  John 
Conners,  of  McGregor,  drew  up  a  trunk  which  was  found  to  contain 
woman's  clothing  and  several  photographs  of  individuals  in  the  north 
part  of  the  county,  among  which  were  pictures  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John 
Hagerty  who  had  been  living  at  Giard.  It  was  known  that  a  man 
named  Thompson  had  been  living  with  this  woman  and  had  taken  her 
and  her  children  to  Wisconsin,  but  a  short  time  previously.  The 
finding  of  the  trunk  lead  to   further  search  and  the  bodies  of  the 


RECONSTRUCTION    PERIOD — 1865-187O  1 99 

■woman,  her  daughter  and  her  son,  were  found  lower  down  the  river. 
A  cord  was  tied  about  the  boy's  neck  and  the  woman  was  in  a  dehcate 
condition.  The  story  of  the  case,  as  developed  at  the  time,  was  that 
Hagerty,  who  was  something  of  a  drunkard,  left  his  family  and  joined 
the  army;  returning,  he  had  reason  to  suspect  his  wife  and  he  drank 
more  heavily  and  finally  abandoned  his  family.  His  wife  afterwards 
lived  at  the  house  of  Andrew  Thompson.  They  were  last  seen  in 
November.  Household  articles  identified  as  belonging  to  her  were 
found  in  the  river  in  February,  but  it  was  not  until  June  that  the 
trunk  was  discovered  and  it  was  still  two  days  later  before  the  bodies 
were  found.  The  relations  between  Mrs.  Hagerty  and  Thompson  had 
been  the  cause  of  much  comment  and  after  some  investigation  a  writ 
was  issued  for  Thompson's  arrest.  Sheriff  James  Davis  went  to  the 
home  of  James  Love,  a  brother-in-law  of  Thompson,  but  was  unable 
to  capture  him.  The  sheriff  then  sent  to  McGregor  for  aid  and  a 
posse  of  citizens  volunteered  and  searched  the  woods  for  him  all  night. 
Thompson  finally  surrendered  himself  to  Marshal  Bergman.  A  pre- 
liminary examination  was  held  and  the  best  legal  talent  of  the  county 
was  arrayed  on  each  side.  District  Attorney  Granger,  John  T.  Stone- 
man  and  Judge  Murdock  prosecuted,  and  Noble,  Odell,  Hatch  and 
Updegraff  appeared  for  the  defense.  The  evidence  was  voluminous 
and  Thompson  was  bound  over  and,  later,  three  indictments  for  murder 
were  brought  against  him.  There  were  many  delays  in  bringing  the 
case  to  trial  and  it  was  finally  heard  in  June,  1870,  in  Fayette  county. 
Thompson  was  found  guilty  and  sentenced  to  be  hung.  Appeal  was 
taken  to  the  Supreme  Court,  which  decided  that,  on  account  of  a  flaw 
in  the  indictment,  he  could  not  be  executed.  Being  given  his  choice 
between  a  new  trial  and  a  sentence  of  life  imprisonment,  he  chose  the 
latter  and  expiated  his  crime  at  Fort  Madison. 

River  Traffic — At  this  time  river  traffic  was  in  its  glory.  The  three 
leading  concerns  operating  were  the  Northwestern  Union  packet  line 
with  twenty-one  boats,  the  Northern  line  with  thirteen  boats,  and  the 
Diamond  Jo  line  with  four  boats.  These  companies  employed  155 
barges.  In  1844  the  number  of  boat  arrivals  at  St.  Paul  was  forty- 
seven,  by  1850  it  had  increased  to  104,  in  1855  to  603,  the  high  mark 
was  reached,  in  1858,  when  the  arrivals  were  1068.  This  mark  was 
almost  reached  in  1862,  with  1015  arrivals.  The  number  in  1869  was 
792.  The  arrivals  at  McGregor  would  be  approximately  double  those 
at  St.  Paul,  as  the  latter  place  was  the  terminus,  while  boats  stopped 
at  McGregor  both  going  up  and  down  the  river.  These  statistics  give 
an  idea  of  the  busy  port  of  McGregor  which  had  added  importance 
as  the  headquarters  of  the  Diamond  Jo  line. 

Elkader  was  prosperous  during  this  period.  Nearly  every  issue 
of  its  newspapers  note  some  new  building  begun  or  some  improve- 
ment contemplated.  On  August  11,  1866,  the  Elkader  post  office  rose 
to  the  dignity  of  a  money  order  office  and  there  were  many  other 
evidences  of  increasing  importance. 

Court  House — One  of  the  first  actions  of  the  board  of  supervisors 
in  1866  was  the  appropriation  of  $2,000  for  a  treasurer's  office,  $2,000 
for  a  vault  and  $2,000  for  the  transfer  of  the  county  records  into  new 
books.    Later,  $3,000  was  appropriated  for  recorder's  office,  provided 


200  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Elkader  would  giyg  the  site.  This  was  done  and  Davis  and  Beardsley 
donated  the  beautiful  lots  upon  which  the  court  house  stands  today. 
The  citizens  also  subscribed  $i,ooo  for  a  wall  along  the  river  front  of 
these  lots.  This  action  practically  settled  the  county  seat  question. 
Garnavillo  made  an  effort  to  obtain  the  county  seat  in  1867,  but  the 
campaign  was  not  vigorous,  the  western  part  of  the  county  voted  almost 
unanimously  for  Elkader  and  that  city  won  by  711.  The  erection  of 
buildings  and  subsequent  legislation  ended  the  long  drawn  county  seat 
controversy. 

One  of  the  dreams  of  Elkader  for  many  years  was  the  establish- 
ment of  a  woolen  factory  and  in  1866  there  were  a  series  of  meetings 
for  this  purpose  and  committees  were  appointed  to  solicit  stock  sub- 
scriptions. It  was  proposed  to  sell  $50,000  worth  of  stock,  the  mill 
owners  to  take  $10,000,  in  stock,  for  a  half  interest  in  the  water  power. 
These  meetings  covered  a  period  of  months  but  came  to  nothing. 

Fenianism — One  of  the  interesting  developments  of  the  times 
was  the  great  interest  in  the  Fenian  Society.  There  was  an  active 
branch  in  Elkader,  meetings  were  held,  one  of  which  was  addressed  by 
Mr.  Finerty  of  Chicago,  and  the  movement  had  the  support  of  the 
local  newspaper.  It  is  related  that  at  one  time  $50  was  subscribed 
for  the  purchase  of  a  Fenian  flag.  This  money  was  forwarded  to 
Chicago,  but  was  returned,  with  the  statement  that  the  cheapest  flag 
would  cost  $100.  About  this  time  there  was  a  call  from  the  head 
of  the  order  for  funds  to  buy  ammunition  for  the  Irish  revolutionists 
and  the  ladies  used  the  $50  for  this  purpose.  A  card  notifying  sub- 
scribers to  this  effect  was  signed  by  Cornelius  Ryan  who  stated  that 
any  dissatisfied  with  this  arrangement  could  receive  a  refund  by  apply- 
ing to  John  Moran.  This  Fenian  agitation  died  out  within  the  course 
of  a  year. 

Hop  Industry — A  new  industry  which  promised  great  things  in 
1866  was  the  hopyard,  started  by  L.  V.  Davis,  who  advertised  for 
forty  young  and  elderly  women  to  pick  hops  at  75  cents  per  box.  This 
hopfield  consisted  of  eighteen  acres  and  between  forty  and  fifty  were 
employed  in  the  hop  picking.  The  Journal  says,  "Some  of  our  best 
ladies,  married  and  single,  were  there,  arrayed  in  bloomers,  stripping 
the  richly  laden  vines.  We  did  not  notice  the  costume  so  much  as 
the  bloom  on  the  cheeks  of  the  fair  pickers,  who  were  making  from 
$1  to  $1.50  per  day."  The  picking  season  ended  with  a  grand  hop  at 
the  hop  farm  which  lasted  until  morning. 

In  October,  1866,  Elkader  was  pleasantly  startled  by  three  wed- 
dings in  a  single  day.  Judge  A.  C.  Rogers  performing  all  the  services, 
the  contracting  parties  were  Realto  E.  Price  and  Miss  Sarah  Filetta 
Stewart,  Orrin  P.  Stewart  and  Mary  Young,  and  Thaddeus  Maxson 
and  Mary  A.  McLane. 

Some  Elkader  "Firsts" — Sidelights  on  Elkader  history  at  this  time 
are  shown  by  the  newspaper  approval  of  Father  O'Beirne's  efforts  to 
stop  rowdyism ;  by  a  statement  that  there  was  not  a  sidewalk  the  length 
of  a  block  in  all  Elkader  and  by  the  agreement  among  the  business 
men  to  close  their  stores  on  Sunday.  In  1866,  appears  the  first 
mention  of  Mr.  Bayless  as  a  business  man.  The  Freeman  Lumber 
Yards  opened  in  that  year;  the  first  express  office  was  opened,  with 


RECONSTRUCTION    PERIOD — 1865-187O  201 

A.  W.  Daugherty  as  agent,  and  the  first  advertisement  of  oysters 
appears  in  an  Elkader  paper.  The  first  effort  at  fire  prevention  was 
made,  in  1867,  v^^hen  the  Elkader  mill  put  in  a  $1,000  pump  and  offered 
the  use  of  it  to  the  city,  if  the  citizens  would  provide  hose.  It  was 
in  front  of  the  mill,  in  1866,  that  the  first  street  light  was  installed, 
and  at  this  time  the  mill  made  one  shipment  of  1,000  barrels  of  flour, 
by  team  to  McGregor.  In  1868,  on  New  Year's  day,  Elkader  gave  a 
grand  ball  to  celebrate  the  county  seat  victory  and  during  that  month 
Colonel  Eiboeck  published  the  first  number  of  Clayton  county's  first 
German  paper,  The  Herold. 

Fairs — The  Agricultural  Society  met  at  the  Fair  Grounds  at 
National,  May  18,  1866,  electing  James  Parker  of  Monona  president 
and  J.  E.  Corlett  secretary.  Messrs.  Merrill  and  Drummond  addressed 
the  meeting,  stating  that  supervisors  were  permitted  to  appropriate 
$1,000  to  the  society.  This  was  followed  up,  and,  in  June,  the  super- 
visors appropriated  $1,000  to  be  effective  when  the  society  had  ten 
acres  free  of  debt.  The  fair  held  in  October  1866,  was  described  as 
the  "best  ever."  The  fair,  for  1867,  took  on  more  of  the  nature  of 
the  modern  fair;  one  of  the  features  being  Ormsby's  Female 
Equestriennes.  The  McGregor  band  was  employed  and  there  were 
races  and  lager  and  wine.  Mrs.  Taylor  of  McGregor  won  the  prize 
as  a  horse-woman  and  Miss  Minerva  Mathews  was  the  winner  of  the 
race  for  lady  riders.  In  1868,  James  King  was  president  and  C.  A. 
Watkins  secretary.  The  fair  was  held  in  October  and  there  was  a 
good  display,  a  feature  being  woolen  goods  of  Clayton  county  manu- 
facture shown  by  Otis  &  Co.  W.  S.  Scott  of  Monona  was  president  and 
Norman  Hamilton  secretary  in  1869.  The  financial  report  showed 
that  the  paid  admissions,  for  1868,  amounted  to  $720.75.  The  asso- 
ciation was  then  $1,300  in  debt.  The  receipts  for  1869  were  not  large 
on  account  of  rain,  but  $600  of  the  old  indebtedness  was  paid.  In  his 
report  secretary  Corlett  describes  the  fair  grounds  and  improvements 
as  follows:  "The  society  has  beautiful  grounds  enclosed  by  tight 
board  fence  costing  $1,000;  a  two-story  fair  building  upon  which  there 
has  been  expended  over  $2,000.  Also  pens  and  stalls  for  stock,  $200. 
The  ten  acres  cost  $900  of  which  $500  was  paid  by  1869,  not  less 
than  $500  were  expended  upon  the  ground  and  buildings  in  1867 
and  1868.  The  entire  indebtedness  of  the  society  is  $1,300,  leaving  the 
net  assets  at  $3,300." 

County  Government — Aside  from  the  steps  taken  to  build  a  court 
house  the  most  important  acts  of  the  supervisors  are  to  be  found  in 
the  extensive  appropriations  for  bridges.  Three  thousand  dollars  was 
appropriated  for  a  bridge  at  Elkport  and  $5,000  for  a  bridge  at  Oster- 
dock.  A  good  bridge  at  Bloody  Run  was  also  put  in.  The  question 
of  a  tax  for  a  jail  was  submitted  to  the  people  and  carried  and  E.  H. 
Williams,  John  Garber  and  James  Davis  were  appointed  as  a  committee 
to  superintend  its  construction.  In  1867,  nineteen  paupers  were  housed 
at  the  poor  farm  under  the  stewardship  of  August  Millinghausen.  The 
house  is  described  as  adequate,  but  the  stable  is  of  straw  and  the  board 
was  urged  to  appropriate  enough  to  erect  substantial  buildings. 

Railroad  Projects — Prior  to  1870,  there  was  but  one  railroad  in 
the  county,  this  being  the  McGregor  Western,  but  the  map  of  the 


202  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

entire  county  was  overrun  with  surveys  and  proposed  routes  and  it  was 
a  dull  week  when  there  was  not  a  railroad  meeting  some  place  in  the 
county.  Judge  Murdock  proposed  a  road  from  the  mouth  of  Buck 
creek  to  Garnavillo  and  thence  by  Dry  Mill  to  Elkader  and  up  the 
Turkey  river  to  Otter  creek  and  West  Union  and  then  "wherever  it 
please."  A  meeting  to  consider  this  project  was  held  in  Garnavillo, 
in  July,  1866.  The  following  December,  articles  of  incorporation  were 
filed  for  a  road  from  McGregor  to  Elkader,  Cedar  Falls  and  Des 
Moines.  The  incorporators  were  James  Lawler  and  Joseph  Reynolds 
of  Chicago,  R.  L.  Freeman  of  Elkader  and  Lindsey  Seals  of  McGregor. 
Judge  Williams  also  planned  a  line  up  Turkey  river  and  attended 
a  meeting  at  Dubuque  to  promote  it.  In  1867,  a  meeting  was  held  at 
Guttenberg  and  resolutions  introduced  by  Judge  Price  favoring  the 
Dubuque  and  Northwestern.  A  survey  was  made  down  the  river  in 
1868  and  the  McGregor  and  Western  also  surveyed  a  line  from  North 
McGregor  to  McGregor.  In  1868  there  was  great  excitement  over  the 
proposal  of  the  so-called  Forty-third  Parallel  Railroad  to  obtain  a 
land  grant  from  the  legislature.  McGregor  was  the  storm  center  of 
this  proposal  and  meeting  after  meeting  was  held  with  arguments  pro 
and  con.  The  majority  at  McGregor  favored  aid  to  the  McGregor 
and  Western  rather  than  to  the  new  company  and  this  was  the  final 
action  of  the  legislature.  In  1869,  meetings  were  held  at  McGregor 
relative  to  voting  a  tax  for  a  line  from  Dubuque.  Piatt  Smith  spoke 
for  the  tax  and  Reuben  Noble  opposed  it.  It  was  agreed  to  solicit 
donations.  A  railroad  convention  was  held  at  Guttenberg  and  that 
city  subscribed  $30,000  for  the  Dubuque  line.  The  Des  Moines  and 
McGregor  line  was  revived  and,  in  this,  Elkader  was  greatly  interested 
and  sent  delegates  to  a  convention  held  at  Waterloo.  A  survey  was 
made  from  McGregor  to  Elkader  via  Sny  Magill  and  H.  W.  Bur- 
lingame,  the  promotor,  declared  that  capital  had  been  secured  for  its 
construction  if  the  various  localities  would  contribute.  In  December, 
1869,  a  temporary  bridge  was  completed  at  North  McGregor  and  the 
first  through  train  went  across.  This  bridge  piled  the  ice  above  and 
left  clear  water  below,  so  that  McGregor  complained  and  questioned 
the  right  of  a  corporation  "to  dam  the  river  above  us,  and  thereby 
damn  the  team  business  below  us."  The  result  of  all  these  meetings 
was  to  crystalize  public  sentiment,  but  no  railroad  mileage  was  added 
to  the  county  from  the  close  of  the  war  to  1870. 

Among  the  Teachers — The  return  of  many  young  men  after  the 
war,  who  were  compelled  to  make  a  new  start  in  life,  gave  added 
interest  to  the  teaching  field  and  the  schools  of  the  county  were  never 
in  better  hands.  The  Teachers'  Association  held  a  meeting  at  Garna- 
villo in  December,  1865,  J.  Bell  was  chairman  and  the  program  included 
addresses  from  Professor  Briggs  and  Judge  Murdock  and  an  essay 
by  Miss  Prince  of  Garnavillo.  The  teachers  were  appreciative  of  their 
fellow  workers  as  is  evidenced  by  the  presentation  of  a  chair  to  "Father 
Tremain"  at  Strawberry  Point  upon  his  return  from  Pike's  Peak  and 
the  gift  of  a  silver  cake  basket  to  ex-Superintendent  Kramer.  The 
Briggs  Academy  at  Garnavillo  was  in  successful  operation  at  this 
time ;  J.  Briggs  was  principal  and  Miss  Sarah  H.  Prince  assisted.  Rev. 
G.   M.  Porter  taught  languages  and  Annette  Huntley  instructed  in 


RECONSTRUCTION    PERIOD 1865-187O  203 

music.  The  institute  for  1866  was  held  at  Guttenberg  with  J.  Piper 
as  director  and  throughout  this  period  there  was  increased  school 
activity. 

Town  Progress — In  May  1866  the  town  of  McGregor  was  stirred 
by  the  murder  of  Ira  Pritchard,  a  trapper  from  Allamakee  county,  who 
was  brutally  assaulted  and  robbed.  Frank  Lienhart  was  arrested  for 
this  crime  and  the  McGregor  News  urges  the  authorities  to  clean  up 
the  city  and  get  rid  of  the  many  objectionable  characters.  The  moral 
tone  of  McGregor  improved,  however,  and  the  material  advancement 
was  rapid.  There  were  many  new  and  substantial  business  blocks 
erected  and  a  number  of  churches,  among  which  was  the  Methodist 
church,  erected  in  1869.  One  of  the  most  important  permanent  im- 
provements was  the  erection  of  the  academy  building.  This  was  com- 
menced in  the  fall  of  1868,  and  cost  $20,000.  A.  J.  Jordan  was  the 
supervisor  and  S.  Jacobs  was  the  architect.  There  were  six  large 
rooms  in  this  building.  At  North  McGregor,  which  was  booming, 
Flemming  Bros,  spent  $20,000  improving  their  saw  mill  plant,  adding 
a  shingle  factory  and  a  gang  of  twenty  saws. 

Monona,  also,  was  prosperous  and,  by  1869,  the  town  contained 
three  large  churches  with  a  fourth  under  process  of  erection.  A  new 
school  house  had  been  built  at  a  cost  of  $20,000  and  Professor  M.  W. 
Baily  was  at  the  head  of  the  school  and  in  every  respect  Monona  was 
a  very  live  and  up-to-date  town.  Guttenberg  receives  but  casual  men- 
tion from  Elkader  and  McGregor  newspapers,  but  there  is  every 
evidence  that  it  was  prospering  finely,  while  Clayton  was  receding  as  a 
business  point  and  the  inland  towns  of  the  county  were  enjoying  a 
slow  but  steady  growth. 

Political  History — In  politics,  the  larger  issues  of  the  war  gave 
place  to  minor  and  more  personal  matters.  The  course  of  President 
Johnson  relative  to  reconstruction  became  more  and  more  distasteful 
to  Republicans.  This  feeling  grew  and  culminated  at  the  time  of  his 
impeachment.  As  the  Republicans  denounced  Johnson,  the  Democrats 
took  him  up,  and  before  the  close  of  his  administration  the  pecuHar  sit- 
uation was  created,  that  the  president  was  supported  by  the  opposing 
political,  party  and  denounced  by  his  own.  This  was  in  the  day  of 
personalities  in  politics  and  the  Republican  papers  did  not  hesitate  to 
call  Johnson  a  drunkard  nor  did  the  Democratic  paper  fail  to  return 
the  compliment  by  accusing  Grant  of  a  like  failing.  One  of  the 
features  of  the  campaign  of  1866,  was  the  formation  of  a  new  party 
called  the  National  Union  party.  This  was  composed  of  the  so-called 
conservative  Republicans  who  endorsed  Johnson  and  this  division 
among  the  Republicans  was  naturally  encouraged  by  the  Democrats. 
At  the  Republican  convention  held  at  Elkader  for  the  purpose  of 
electing  delegates  to  the  judicial  convention  Reuben  Noble  was  chair- 
man and  Alonzo  Brown  was  secretary.  The  delegates  were  instructed 
to  support  Milo  McGlathery  for  judge  and  he  was  nominated  at  the 
convention  held  at  West  Union,  July  12,  and  L.  O.  Hatch  of  Allamakee 
was  nominated  for  district  attorney.  Thomas  UpdegrafT  was  chair- 
man of  this  convention. 

The  convention  held  August  18,  to  select  delegates  for  the  con- 
gressional convention  was  not  so  harmonious.    William  Hoflfbauer  was 


204  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

chairman  of  this  convention  and  J.  E.  Corlett  secretary.  A  resolution 
was  introduced  instructing  for  WilHam  B.  Allison,  this  was  opposed 
by  J.  O.  Crosby  and  Dr.  G.  W.  Chase  and  was  advocated  by  B,  T. 
Hunt  and  Willis  Drummond.  The  resolution  was  passed  with  but 
four  opposing  votes.    Allison  was  renominated  and  stumped  the  county. 

Samuel  Merrill  presided  at  the  convention  which  nominated  H.  S. 
Granger  for  clerk  and  W.  D.  Crooke  for  recorder.  There  was  a  bitter 
fight  for  this  nomination,  Crooke  defeating  J.  Oglesbee  on  the  third 
formal  ballot.     Oglesbee,  later,  opposed  the  election  of  Crooke. 

Although  he  had  been  the  chairman  of  the  Republican  convention 
in  July,  Reuben  Noble  allied  himself  with  the  new  party  and  he  was 
nominated  for  Congress  at  a  convention  at  West  Union,  which  the 
Republican  newspapers  dubbed  the  "kangaroo"  convention.  Mr. 
Noble's  defection  drew  upon  him  many  bitter  attacks  from  Republican 
sources.  The  Democrats  nominated  Robert  L.  Freeman  for  clerk  and 
Mr.  Roedemann,  of  Guttenberg,  for  recorder.  The  Republican  state 
ticket  carried  the  county  by  upwards  of  700,  Allison  had  577  majority 
over  Noble,  Granger  had  517  majority  and  Crooke  was  elected  by  312. 

Merrill  for  Governor — It  was  in  November,  1866,  that  Samuel 
Merrill  of  McGregor  was  first  proposed  as  a  candidate  for  governor, 
by  the  Dubuque  Times.    In  this  connection  the  Times  says :    "Colonel 
Samuel  Merrill  of  Clayton  county  enjoys  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  all  who  know  him — he  is  a  first  class  and  successful  business  man — 
and  well  qualified  to  assume  and  discharge  the  varied  duties  of  the 
executive  chair."    While  this  mention  of  Merrill  was  well  received  it 
was  not  taken  very  seriously  by  Clayton  county  Republicans  at  first. 
The  Elkader  Journal  says  of  him:     "Colonel  Merrill  is  a  good  and 
strong  man,  but  he  is  not  the  only  strong  man  the  Third  Congressional 
District  can  boast.    We  urge  that  if  there  be  any  considerable  opposi- 
tion to  Colonel  Merrill  we  select  and  unite  upon  some  other  of  the 
many  able  men  from  this  part  of  the  state."    As  late  as  February  27, 
1867,  the  Journal  is  not  sure  that  it  would  not  be  better  to  unite 
upon  B.  T.  Hunt.    A  month  later,  however,  Colonel  Merrill's  chances 
are  recorded  as  being  bright  and  the  Republicans  were  strong  in  his 
support.     Merrill   was   nominated,   his   Democratic   opponent   being 
Charles  Mason.    M.  L.  Fisher  was  a  candidate  for  state  superintendent 
on  the  Democratic  ticket.     Mr.  Merrill  received  a  handsome  indorse- 
ment from  his  home  county,  his  majority  being  811.    H.  E.  Newell  for 
senator,  J.  C.  Vaupel  for  treasurer,  James  Davis  for  sheriff,  and  C.  A. 
Dean  for  judge  on  the  Republican  ticket  were  elected  without  opposi- 
tion.   M.  E.  Smith,  Republican,  defeated  Carl  Kostman,  Democrat,  for 
surveyor  by  83  majority;  for  superintendent,  W.  A.  Preston,  Repub- 
lican, defeated  J.  Briggs,  Democrat,  by  59  majority;  N.  Hamilton, 
James  Newberry  and  P.  G.  Bailey,  Republicans,  were  elected  to  the 
legislature.    The  question  of  prohibition  was  a  live  issue  in  this  cam- 
paign.   The  people  of  McGregor  were  much  pleased  over  the  election 
of  Merrill  and  showed  their  good  will  by  serenading  him  at  his  home. 
In  November  Mr.  Merrill  resigned  the  position,  as  president  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  McGregor,  and  soon  went  to  Des  Moines  to 
prepare  for  the  duties  of  his  high  office. 

Campaign  of  1868 — That  Clayton  county  was  influential  in  state 


RECONSTRUCTION    PERIOD 1865-187O  20$ 

politics,  in  both  parties,  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  the  following  year, 
Senator  David  Hamer  of  McGregor  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for 
secretary  of  state.  This  was  the  presidential  campaign  in  which 
Horatio  Seymour  was  the  Democratic  candidate  against  General  U.  S. 
Grant.  At  the  Democratic  convention,  held  at  Elkader,  Professor 
Briggs  presided  and  A.  J.  Jordan,  C.  P.  Goodrich,  Reuben  Noble,  B.  P. 
Rawson  and  B.  F.  Fox  were  on  the  resolutions  committee.  Delegates 
to  the  congressional  convention  were  instructed  to  support  John  T. 
Stoneman ;  A.  W.  Daugherty  of  Elkader  was  nominated  for  clerk  and 
Dr.  Paul  Stockfeldt  for  recorder.  At  the  congressional  convention 
Stoneman  withdrew  in  favor  of  William  Mills,  of  Dubuque,  who  was 
nominated  for  congress.  Mr.  Stoneman  was  the  Democratic  candidate 
for  presidential  elector  for  this  district.  The  Republicans  renominated 
Allison  for  congress  and  Granger  for  clerk  and  Crooke  for  recorder. 
A  feature  of  the  campaign  was  a  joint  debate  held  at  McGregor 
between  Allison  and  Noble.  After  the  election  Colonel  Richardson 
says :  "We  haven't  official  returns  from  anywhere,  but  this  is  true : 
Democrats  can  pay  their  debts  with  safety."  The  Republican  majority 
for  Grant  was  831 ;  for  Wright,  as  against  Hamer,  for  secretary  of 
State,  852.  The  Republican  county  candidates  were  elected ;  the  vote 
for  a  jail  tax  carried  by  1,249  ^"<^  ^^e  proposition  to  strike  the  word 
"white"  from  the  constitution  received  370  majority. 

Campaign  i86p — The  year  1869  was  filled  with  personal  politics 
largely.  Among  the  Republicans  the  contest  raged  about  William  B. 
Allison  who  had  senatorial  ambitions.  Post  office  appointments  at 
McGregor  and  Elkader  had  created  considerable  dissatisfaction  and  a 
Republican  convention  held  at  Elkader,  July  10,  presented  the  name 
of  Judge  E.  H.  Williams  as  a  candidate  for  the  senate.  Other  Repub- 
lican nominees  were  Samuel  Murdock  and  H.  B.  Taylor  for  rep- 
resentatives, Henry  Kellner  for  treasurer,  James  Davis  for  sheriff,  M. 
E.  Duff  for  auditor,  W.  C.  McNeal  for  superintendent,  S.  L.  Peck  for 
surveyor  and  H.  D.  Bronson  for  coroner.  The  resolutions,  which 
caused  such  dissention  among  the  Republicans  and  which  were  directed 
against  Allison,  read  as  follows :  "While  we  are  proud  to  acknowledge 
that  the  success  of  the  Republican  party  has  been  largely  due  to  its 
patriotic,  free,  and  independent  newspaper  press,  we  unqualifiedly 
condemn  the  infamous  practice  inaugurated  in  this  congressional  dis- 
trict, of  subsidizing  and  corrupting  this,  which  should  be  the  great 
conservator  of  public  virtue,  by  the  use  of  federal  patronage  to 
accomplish  personal  advancement."  A.  P.  Richardson  was  the 
Democratic  candidate  for  lieutenant  governor  and  aside  from  the 
Democratic  and  Republican  county  tickets  there  was  a  "Financial  and 
Labor  Reform"  ticket  in  the  field.  This  latter  ticket,  however,  endorsed 
all  the  Democratic  candidates  except  L.  R.  Gilbert  for  representative 
and  Tim  M.  Hopkins  for  sheriff.  The  Republicans  scored  again  at 
this  election,  Merrill  receiving  511  majority.  Mr.  Richardson  was 
given  a  handsome  complimentary  vote.    All  the  Republican  candidates 


206  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

were  elected,  except  that  John  Everall,  Democrat,  was  elected  superin- 
tendent by  884  majority.  The  race  for  treasurer  was  close,  Kellner 
defeating  Charles  Schultze  by  16  votes.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  in 
the  four  years  following  the  war  Clayton  county  furnished  a  successful 
candidate  for  governor  and  candidates  for  lieutenant-governor,  sec- 
retary of  state,  state  superintendent,  congress,  and  presidential  elector. 
No  other  county  in  Iowa  has  ever  excelled  this  record  in  any  four- 
year  period. 


CHAPTER  X 

DEVELOPMENT  PERIOD— 1870-1880 

RIVER  RAILROAD NARROW  GAUGE — VOLGA  VALLEY  LINE DAVENPORT  AND 

NORTHWESTERN FAIRS     AND     SCHOOLS POLITICAL     ARENA — HAYES- 

TILDEN     CAMPAIGN — COUNTY    GOVERNMENT — COMPLETION    OF    COI'RT 

HOUSE — COUNTY    EXPENSE — CHICAGO    FIRE SECOND    GOLD   DISCOVERY 

— CLAYTON     COUNTY    INSURANCE    COMPANY — POOR    FARM     MURDER^ 

DEATH  ROLL  OF  PIONEERS OLD  SETTLERS'  REUNIONS — FIRST  REUNION 

SECOND  REUNION — LATER  GATHERINGS — TOWN   HISTORY — RINGLING 

BROTHERS MCGREGOR   EVENTS — ELKADER — ABD-EL-KADER. 

WHILE  the  years  glide  into  the  stream  of  time,  as  the  rivers 
flow  into  the  Father  of  Waters,  without  perceptibly  raising  its 
level  or  increasing  its  mighty  current,  still,  looked  at  from  the 
perspective  of  later  years,  it  will  be  found  that  there  has  been  steady 
progress  and  that  the  tide  of  civilization  changes  in  its  characteristics 
and  grows  in  momentum.  It  is  also  possible  to  see  various  trends  in 
events  and  thus,  roughly,  to  divide  history  into  periods.  In  the  history 
of  Clayton  county,  after  the  first  American  settlements  there  were: 
First,  the  pioneer  period;  next,  the  period  of  permanent  settlement; 
then,  the  fever  of  war  and  the  renewed  rush  of  settlement  at  its 
close;  now,  from  1870  to  1880,  comes  a  period  of  internal  development. 
The  county  became  practically  at  a  standstill  as  to  population;  the 
increase  from  1870  to  1875  was  but  six.  The  "Golden  Era"  of 
McGregor  ended  in  the  6o's  and  the  chief  activities  shifted  again  to 
the  south  part  of  the  county,  where  towns  sprang  up  and  developed 
along  the  line  of  the  Volga  River  Railroad  and  of  the  Davenport  and 
Northern.  It  was  a  period,  also,  of  large  imaginings  and,  while  many 
of  these  projects  failed,  they,  nevertheless,  show  the  indomitable 
courage  and  enterprise  of  the  people.  It  was  a  time  too  of  organization. 
The  first  struggle  had  been  more  of  a  man  to  man  contest,  now  there 
were  time  and  opportunity  to  enjoy  the  social  side  of  life;  thus  in 
these  years  are  found  the  beginnings  of  many  societies.  The  Agricul- 
tural Society,  the  Sunday  School  Association,  Church  organizations, 
lodges  and  Turn  Vereins  flourished,  while,  in  politics,  the  heated  dis- 
cussions of  war  times  died  away  to  be  replaced  by  more  personal,  and 
it  must  be  confessed,  more  sordid  issues. 

River  Railroad — In  1870,  the  only  railroad  in  Clayton  county  was 
the  line  from  North  McGregor  through  Monona  and  Luana  and  to  the 
west.  The  people  of  McGregor  had  found  that  this  railroad,  instead  of 
increasing  their  importance,  had  decreased  it,  but  the  enterprising  peo- 


208  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

pie  of  that  city  were  not  ready  to  acknowledge  defeat  and  still  enter- 
tained dreams  of  empire  with  McGregor  a  metropolis  and  they  believed 
that  the  cure  was  to  be  found  in  more  railroads,  and  the  big  men  of 
the  town,  of  whom  there  were  many,  interested  themselves  greatly 
in  railroad  projects.  The  Dubuque  and  Minnesota  was  one  of  the 
first  lines  pushed ;  S.  T.  Woodward  and  J.  H.  Merrill  being  directors. 
H.  B.  Carter,  J.  A.  Hysham,  A.  F.  Tipton,  S.  T.  Woodward,  Gibb 
Douglass  and  Timothy  Davis  represented  Clayton  county  at  the  meet- 
ing held  to  organize.  Donations  were  asked  from  different  Clayton 
county  towns  along  the  river.  The  McGregor  Times  opposed  this 
movement,  but  meetings  were  held  and,  under  the  spell  of  Judge  Wil- 
Hams'  eloquence,  the  business  men  of  McGregor  voted  unanimously 
for  a  tax.  As  a  result  of  this  meeting  an  election  was  ordered,  for 
June  I,  1870,  but  this  was  postponed  for  a  month  on  account  of  an 
error  in  serving  notice.  A  tax  of  5  per  cent  was  voted  by  a  majority 
of  281.  In  the  meantime,  Elkader  was  also  interested  in  railroads 
and,  after  an  exciting  election,  a  tax  was  voted  by  71  majority.  Gut- 
tenberg  also  voted  a  tax,  but  Clayton  voted  against  it.  E.  H.  Williams 
received  the  contract  for  grading  the  first  thirty  miles  north  of  Dubuque 
and,  in  October,  1870,  a  celebration  was  held  when  the  first  ground  was 
broken  for  the  river  road.  H.  L  Havens,  D.  B.  Dawson,  B.  F.  Fox, 
B.  Schroeder,  A.  T.  Jones  and  A.  W.  Burlingame  composed  a  com- 
mission to  fix  the  damages  along  the  right  of  way.  The  work  of  con- 
struction was  pushed  rapidly  and,  by  May,  1871,  it  was  stated  that 
trains  were  expected  to  reach  McGregor  by  September  i ;  that  con- 
tracts had  been  let  for  grading  as  far  as  Harper's  Ferry  and  that  men 
were  already  at  work.  In  June  it  was  announced  that  the  rails  had 
arrived  and  also  the  locomotives,  the  "William  Andrews,"  and  the 
"John  D.  Burt,"  for,  in  those  days,  locomotives,  like  steamboats,  were 
known  by  name.  There  were  the  usual  troubles  of  construction  and 
certain  contractors  vanished  over  night  without  paying  for  labor  or  for 
ties.  But,  by  September,  1871,  the  railroad  had  reached  the  mouth 
of  Turkey  river  and  it  soon  reached  McGregor  and  beyond. 

Although,  at  this  time,  all  the  railroads  of  Clayton  county  are 
parts  of  the  Milwaukee  system,  all  the  various  lines  of  the  county  were 
at  first  built  by  independent  companies;  thus,  at  first,  there  were  no 
traffic  arrangements  between  the  road  running  west  of  McGregor  and 
the  road  north,  and  it  was  some  time  before  there  were  any  friendly 
relations  between  the  two  roads.  It  was  several  years  before  the 
line  to  the  west  was  compelled  to  build  a  spur  connecting  McGregor 
with  North  McGregor,  and  it  was  not  until  1874  that  the  Milwaukee 
rented  the  Times  office  and  fitted  it  up  as  a  McGregor  ticket  office. 

Narrow  Gauge — One  favorite  project  was  the  building  of  a  line 
up  the  Turkey  river.  A  proposition  was  made  to  Elkader  that  this 
line  would  be  built  to  connect  with  the  river  road,  for  $2,000  per  mile, 
the  right  of  way,  depot,  grounds,  etc.  A  meeting  was  held  to  con- 
sider this  and  Messrs.  Carter,  Woodward,  Price,  Young  and  Garber 
appointed  to  solicit  funds.  The  Iowa  and  Minnesota  constructive 
company  was  formed  to  carry  on  this  work,  but  the  amount  asked 
was  too  large  and  Elkader  could  not  meet  it.  Another  project  was 
the  Cedar  Rapids  and  McGregor  Railway,  via  Elkader  and  Manchester ; 


DEVELOPMENT    PERIOD iS/O-lSSo  209 

Still  another  was  the  ambitious  Milwaukee,  Chicago,  Cassville  and 
Montana.  This  line  was  incorporated,  with  $6,000,000  as  the  capital 
stock.  The  promoters  of  this  line  were  E.  H.  Williams,  James  Hysham, 
Thomas  Updegraff,  J.  O.  Crosby,  H.  B.  Carter  and  others  and  the 
headquarters  were  to  be  at  McGregor.  In  the  meantime,  E.  H.  Wil- 
liams proposed  a  narrow  gauge  railway  from  McGregor  to  the  south- 
west, passing  through  Elkader.  Many  articles  were  printed  to  show 
the  superiority  of  the  narrow  gauge  line  over  the  broad  gauge  system. 
The  Waterloo  and  McGregor  narrow  gauge  railway  was  incorporated. 
This  met  with  the  approval  of  McGregor  people,  and  Messrs.  Flem- 
ming,  Newell,  and  J.  H.  Merrill  went  to  Waterloo  to  investigate. 
Their  report  was  unfavorable,  but  Judge  Williams  urged  the  matter 
and  a  further  committee  was  appointed.  In  October,  1871,  Elkader 
rejoices  that  the  narrow  gauge,  thanks  to  Judge  Williams,  is  assured 
and  during  the  same  month,  Lee,  Keenan  and  Flynn  broke  the  first 
ground  for  the  narrow  gauge.  A  connection  was  made  with  the  Mil- 
waukee at  Beulah  but,  before  the  line  had  reached  much  more  than 
half  way,  hard  times  closed  down  and  work  stopped,  leaving  Elkader 
still  without  railroad  connection.  The  road  suffered  severely  from 
washouts  and  it  led  a  precarious  existence.  Judge  Williams  persisted, 
however,  and,  in  order  to  carry  on  the  work  with  the  least  possible 
expense,  maple  rails  were  used,  instead  of  iron,  for  the  last  miles  of 
construction.  In  December,  1874,  the  McGregor  Times  states:  "The 
Iowa  Eastern  (narrow  gauge)  has  been  completed  to  the  mouth  of 
Dry  Mill  creek  and  within  four  miles  of  Motor.  A  station  house 
has  been  erected  and  Patrick  Heendan  is  station  agent.  The  work 
on  the  Motor  extension  is  to  be  prosecuted  during  the  winter  without 
cessation.  At  St.  Claf  station,  T.  C.  Peterson  is  building  a  first  class 
elevator  and,  at  Farmersburg,  Ben  Johnson  is  about  to  double  the 
capacity  of  his  warehouse.  At  each  of  the  stations  there  are  buyers 
engaged  in  the  purchase  of  grain  and  produce  of  all  kinds.  From 
all  accounts  we  are  disposed  to  think  that  better  days  are  dawning 
on  the  career  of  the  narrow  gauge,  and  taking  all  things  into  con- 
sideration, Judge  Williams  is  entitled  to  praise  for  the  tenacity  and 
faith  he  has  exhibited  in  his  enterprise." 

This  optimism  appears  to  have  been  justified,  for,  in  September, 
1875,  ^t  is  noted  that  the  narrow  gauge  has  sixteen  new  cars.  In  1876, 
however,  the  road  was  in  difficulty  and  the  supreme  court  rendered  a 
decision  in  favor  of  Ole  Nelson,  who  had  supplied  ties,  establishing 
his  claim  as  a  prior  lien  over  bondholders.  Illustrating  the  speed  of 
the  narrow  gauge,  there  was  a  lawsuit  growing  out  of  the  fact  that 
certain  dogs  ran  along  beside  the  train,  barking  at  and  annoying 
the  passengers,  whereupon  Attorney  Young  stepped  to  the  platform 
and  shot  and  killed  one  of  the  dogs. 

A  year  later  the  Elkader  Register  tells  that  the  Iowa  Eastern 
receipts  for  1879  were  $14,174.74,  expenses  $12,055.  The  company 
have  sixteen  miles  of  iron  rails  and  3.7  miles  of  wooden  rails.  The 
rolling  stock  consisted  of  one  locomotive,  one  passenger  car,  two 
express  and  baggage  cars,  fifteen  box  cars,  eight  stock  cars  and  six 
flat  cars.  W.  C.  Brown,  afterwards  president  of  the  New  York  Central 
Railway  was  the  first  agent  at  Beulah. 


2IO  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

The  history  of  Judge  Williams'  struggles  and  failures  and  his 
never- failing  courage  and  integrity  is  told  in  his  biography  given  in 
another  chapter, 

Volga  Valley  Line — In  1871,  agitation  for  the  Volga  River  line 
was  commenced  and,  in  July,  Volga  voted  a  tax  of  5  per  cent  in  favor 
of  the  "Iowa  Pacific."  This  line  seems  to  have  had  good  backing  and 
it  experienced  fewer  of  the  vicissitudes  of  pioneer  railroading  than 
did  the  other  lines  of  the  county.  In  November,  1874,  a  Volga  cor- 
respondent writes,  "We  are  bound  to  have  a  railroad  at  last;  Daniel 
Green,  the  great  railroad  contractor,  has  contracted  to  grade  six  miles 
of  the  Volga  Valley  Railroad.  He  has  secured  the  men  and  teams 
for  active  operation."  The  correspondent  also  tells  of  Volga  City  as 
it  was  before  the  coming  of  the  railroad,  saying:  "Volga  City  is  a  wide- 
awake, enterprising  town,  with  one  flouring  mill,  owned  by  Henry 
White ;  two  dry  goods  stores,  owned  by  Hollister  and  Wetmore ;  a 
wagon  shop,  owned  by  Pardee  and  Goodwin;  three  blacksmith  shops, 
one  tin  shop,  harness  shop,  boot  and  shoe  store  and  two  hotels.  The 
Methodists  have  a  very  good  frame  church,  and  one  Union  church, 
frame.  There  is  a  Masonic  lodge,  a  Good  Templars  lodge,  and  a 
flourishing  grange.  Dr.  McLane  enjoys  a  splendid  practice."  This 
line  was  pushed  to  completion  through  the  county  and  the  towns  of 
Osterdock,  Elkport,  Littleport,  Mederville,  Osborne  and  Volga  became 
prosperous  and  thriving.  Each  town  boomed,  particularly,  while  it 
was  the  terminus  of  the  line.  The  farmers  hailed  the  railroads  with 
joy  and  fraternized  with  the  contractors  and  their  men.  There  were 
balls  and  parties  and  banquets  given  by  the  citizens  in  honor  of  the 
railroads  and,  when  the  road  was  completed,  this  was  reciprocated  by 
free  excursions  to  Dubuque. 

The  building  of  this  road  caused  deep  inroads  upon  the  trade  of 
Elkader  and  the  Register  says :  "All  are  aware  of  the  drawing  oiif  in 
the  grain  and  produce  trade  by  the  extension  of  the  Volga  branch 
along  our  border  and  within  six  miles  of  our  door.  The  effect  is 
apparent  to  everyone  doing  business  in  this  place.  It  is  well  enough 
to  look  these  facts  square  in  the  face.  To  hold  our  own  and  build  upon 
the  foundation  we  now  have  is  the  question  of  the  hour."  The  Register 
mentions  two  proposed  lines  to  connect  with  the  Volga  branch  either 
at  Elkport  or  at  Littleport.  Later  in  the  year  it  was  reported  that 
Judge  Williams  was  making  repairs  on  his  road  and  expected  to  have 
a  train  running  to  the  depot  within  a  week  or  two.  Elkader  was  not 
content  with  this  service,  however,  and,  in  1879,  a  committee  was 
appointed  to  examine  a  route  to  connect  with  the  Volga  branch  at 
Mederville.  Garnavillo  also  had  longings  for  rail  connection  with  the 
outside  world  and  at  a  meeting  held  in  February,  1878,  Crosby,  Linton 
and  Kregal  were  appointed  to  examine  the  feasibility  of  a  line  from 
Garnavillo  down  Buck  creek  and,  at  a  second  meeting,  Judge  Williams 
offered  to  extend  the  narrow  gauge  to  Garnavillo,  if  that  city  would 
donate  $13,000. 

The  Davenport  and  Northwestern — The  line  through  the  southern 
part  of  the  county,  from  Edgewood  to  Strawberry  point,  also  met  with 
difficulties.  This  was  called  the  Davenport  and  Northwestern  and, 
like  other  lines,  was  built  largely  on  faith  and  fell  into  the  sheriff's 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD— 187O-1880  211 

hands.  In  1879,  William  Larrabee,  acting  for  creditors,  seized  the  part 
of  the  road  running  through  Clayton  county  and,  for  a  time,  there  was 
no  train  service  beyond  Greeley.  The  Davenport  and  Northwestern 
was  obliged  to  put  in  a  turn  table  at  the  county  line  and  the  Larrabee 
interests  operated  the  road  from  there  on,  independently.  It  was 
then  rumored  that  the  Milwaukee  would  take  over  the  entire  line. 

The  Iowa  Eastern  was  the  last  line  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the 
Milwaukee  system.  After  the  flood  of  1876,  the  track  had  not  been 
relaid  and  the  terminus  was  three  miles  from  Elkader.  In  1882,  the 
Milwaukee  took  possession,  built  the  line  to  Elkader,  proper,  and  made 
it  of  standard  gauge.  No  railroad  mileage  has  been  added  to  the 
county  since  that  time,  and  all  the  lines  are  parts  of  the  Milwaukee 
system.  Showing  the  standing  of  McGregor  in  the  business  world  it 
might  be  added  that  its  railroad  enterprises  were  not  confined  to  this 
county  and  that,  in  1875,  it  was  a  McGregor  company,  headed  by 
Joseph  Reynolds,  which  constructed  a  narrow  gauge  railroad  into  Hot 
Springs,  Arkansas,  and  maintained  it  for  many  years. 

Fairs  and  Schools — The  agricultural  association  went  through 
many  ups  and  downs  during  this  time.  The  wonder  is  that  they  main- 
tained the  struggle  and  did  so  well  as  they  did.  The  year  1870  found 
the  society  with  a  debt  of  $585,  and  it  was  with  this  handicap  that  it 
proceeded  with  its  work.  W.  S.  Scott  was  elected  president  and  E.  C. 
Hall  secretary.  The  fair  was  held  in  September  and  was  described  as 
being  a  success.  More  attention  was  paid  to  woman's  work  and  the 
ladies  of  the  county  responded  with  enthusiasm.  Crops  were  bad 
in  1869-70,  this  was  reflected  in  the  exhibits.  In  1870  the  attendance 
was  between  2,500  and  3,000  and  this  encouraged  the  officials.  In  the 
meantime  a  district  agricultural  meeting  was  called  of  the  four 
counties,  Clayton,  Allamakee,  Winnishiek  and  Fayette.  The  purpose 
was  to  hold  a  fair  at  Postville,  and  the  success  of  this  institution 
detracted  somewhat  from  the  county  organization.  In  1871  the  exhibit 
was  not  so  large  and  the  attendance  fell  off  so  that  premiums  were  not 
paid  in  full. 

James  Jack  was  president  in  1873.  The  1874-5  fairs  were  success- 
ful, that  of  1875  being  described  as  the  "best  ever."  For  the  first  time 
school  children  were  encouraged  to  exhibit  and  this  was  a  prominent 
feature  of  the  fair.  In  1876  D.  F.  Bickel  was  elected  president  and 
the  secretary  was  G.  H.  Otis.  They  started  with  a  balance  on  hand  of 
$128.70  and  the  fair  that  year  was  a  great  success  with  good  patronage 
and  a  fine  exhibit. 

At  the  annual  meeting  held  in  January  1877,  A.  F.  Nichols  was 
elected  president  and  G.  H.  Otis  was  continued  as  secretary.  The  fair 
was  held  in  September  and  the  attendance  was  large,  the  live  stock 
exhibit  was  especially  good  and  the  society  was  able  to  pay  its  premiums 
in  full.  A  reform  wave  struck  the  society  in  1878,  the  old  officers 
were  re-elected,  but  a  resolution  was  adopted  prohibiting  games  of 
chance  and  the  crying  of  wares  on  the  fair  grounds.  A  resolution  to 
stop  racing  was  lost.  It  had  become  apparent,  however,  that  the  fair 
could  not  be  made  a  money-making  institution  at  its  then  location  and, 
at  a  meeting,  in  September,  1878,  John  Corlett  introduced  a  resolution 
providing  for  the  removal  of  the  fair  to  a  more  central  location.    There 


212  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

is  no  record,  however,  of  any  vote  being  taken  and  the  fair  remained  at 
National.  Weather  was  against  them  that  year  and  the  fair  was 
prolonged  one  day  on  account  of  rain.  So  far  as  exhibits  were  con- 
cerned, the  fair  was  a  success,  but  the  attendance  was  poor.  The 
receipts  of  the  fair  were  $888. 

At  a  meeting  held  in  December,  Sanford  Ballou  was  elected  presi- 
dent and  A.  C.  Rogers  secretary. 

In  1879,  the  situation  was  complicated  by  the  formation  of  a 
society  in  the  south  part  of  the  county,  holding  a  fair  at  Strawberry 
Point,  in  September.  This  fair  was  successful,  with  no  rain,  fine  races, 
receipts  of  $935  and  expenses  of  $887.  The  same  good  fortune  did 
not  follow  the  county  fair,  which,  in  spite  of  good  exhibits,  was  spoiled 
by  rain  which  prevented  large  attendance,  but  not  the  walking  race, 
which  was  a  star  feature.  The  fair  was  unable  to  pay  its  premiums 
in  full.  Nevertheless  the  officers,  S.  Ballou  and  A.  C.  Rogers,  were 
re-elected  and  the  society  started  the  new  decennial  with  high  hopes. 

It  would  be  unprofitable  to  give  the  program  of  all  the  many 
teachers'  conventions  and  institutes  held.  The  institute  became  a 
prominent  feature  in  school  life  and  as  many  as  180  teachers  attended. 
Association  meetings  were  held  frequently,  as  were  also  township 
meetings.  All  these  were  helpful  in  increasing  the  efficiency  of  the 
schools.  J.  F.  Thompson  and  John  Everall  were  the  leading  and  most 
popular  educators  with  the  teachers,  and  institutes  were  held  at  various 
points  in  the  county.  McGregor,  Guttenberg,  Monona,  Elkader,  and 
Strawberry  Point  built  up  strong  independent  school  systems  and  the 
principals  of  these  schools  were  drawn  upon  to  conduct  the  institutes 
for  the  rural  teachers. 

Political  Arena — Politics  in  Clayton  county  was  a  seething  caul- 
dron all  through  this  period.  Samuel  Merrill,  of  Clayton  county,  was 
Governor  of  the  state  and  he  was  urged  as  a  candidate  for  United 
States  Senator.  In  later  years.  Judge  Wright  is  quoted  as  having  said 
that  Clayton  county  produced  the  strongest  men  and  the  best  politi- 
cians in  Iowa,  and  that,  had  they  been  able  to  work  together,  nothing 
could  have  stood  against  them ;  but,  fortunately  for  the  balance  of 
the  state,  they  were  never  harmonious.  This  was  illustrated  in  the 
battle  for  the  senatorship,  when  Senator  Newell  supported  Merrill, 
Judge  Murdock  was  right  hand  man  for  Wright,  and  Judge  Williams 
and  Major  Drummond  were  supporters  of  Allison.  Wright  won  the 
nomination  and  was  elected.  The  Democrats  accorded  the  honor  of 
their  nomination  to  John  T.  Stoneman,  of  Clayton  county.  Although 
he  had  opposed  him  in  the  senatorial  fight.  Governor  Merrill  appointed 
E.  H.  Williams  as  a  judge  of  the  Supreme  Court.  In  many  ways 
Governor  Merrill  proved  himself  an  able  and  fair  minded  executive, 
so  much  so  that,  in  1870,  the  legislature  of  Iowa  passed  highly  com- 
mendatory resolutions  concerning  him,  these  being  introduced  by  John 
P.  Irish,  the  Democratic  leader,  and  supported  ardently  by  the  eloquent 
John  A.  Kasson.  During  Governor  Merrill's  term  the  important  work 
of  building  the  state  capitol  was  carried  on,  and,  while  mistakes  were 
made,  there  was  at  no  time  any  reflection  upon  the  integrity  and  ability 
of  the  governor. 

It  was  at  the  republican  county  convention  held  in  Elkader,  July 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD 187O-1880  2I3 

27,  1870,  with  Frank  Larrabee  as  chairman  and  M.  E.  Duff  as  secre- 
tary, that  the  name  of  Thomas  Updegraff  was  first  presented  as  a  can- 
didate for  Congress.  Mr.  Updegraff  was  a  serious  contender  in  the 
congressional  convention  which  followed,  but  W.  G.  Donnan  was 
nominated  on  the  tenth  ballot,  the  vote  being,  Donnan  97,  Updegraff 
65,  Larrabee  4.  It  was  in  this  year,  also,  that  Reuben  Noble  was 
nominated  for  Supreme  Judge  on  the  democratic  ticket  and  John  T. 
Stoneman  was  nominated  for  Congress  on  the  same  ticket.  The  re- 
publicans of  the  county  urged  Williams  for  Supreme  Judge,  but  he 
failed  to  secure  the  nomination.  The  election  of  1870  was  a  victory 
for  the  republicans  by  some  300  majority.  Stoneman  received  a  large 
complimentary  vote  for  congress,  carrying  the  county  by  nearly  100. 
For  supervisors,  O.  W.  Crary  and  P.  P.  Olmstead,  republicans,  were 
elected,  and  Michael  Uriell,  democrat,  who  defeated  Henry  White  by 
10  votes.  H.  S.  Granger  was  re-elected  clerk  without  opposition  and 
R.  L.  Freeman  had  a  majority  of  more  than  300  for  recorder  as 
against  Peter  Karberg,  republican.  A  vote  was  taken  to  increase  the 
number  of  supervisors  from  3  to  5,  but  this  was  defeated  by  900,  while 
the  stock  restraint  law  was  beaten  nearly  3  to  i.  After  the  election 
which  saw  the  change  from  one  supervisor  for  each  township  to  but 
three  supervisors  for  the  county,  Uriell  drew  the  three  year  term, 
Crary  two  years  and  Olmsted  one.  It  was  in  1871  that  F.  D.  Bayless 
first  became  prominent  in  democratic  politics  and  for  many  years  he 
was  one  of  the  leaders  of  democracy.  This  was  the  year  of  the  Alli- 
son-Harlan  fight  for  the  Senatorship  and  this  created  much  factional 
feeling  among  the  republicans.  C.  C.  Carpenter  was  the  republican 
candidate  for  governor  and  carried  the  county  against  J.  C.  Knapp, 
democrat,  by  320.  For  state  senator  O.  W.  Crary  defeated  John  T. 
Stoneman,  and  Louis  Reuther  and  R.  B.  Flenniken  were  elected  rep- 
resentatives over  J.  M.  Hagensick  and  Rufus  Richardson,  democrats. 
Other  republicans  elected  were  G.  Cooley,  supervisor;  Martin  Garber, 
auditor;  Henry  Kellner,  treasurer;  James  Davis,  sheriff;  S.  L.  Peck 
surveyor,  and  H.  D.  Bronson,  coroner.  The  only  democrat  elected 
was  John  Everall  for  superintendent. 

1872  was  a  presidential  year  and  Horace  Greeley  was  the  opponent 
of  General  Grant.  There  was  some  party  feeling,  but  the  opposition 
was  unable  to  make  headway  against  the  great  Union  general  and 
Greeley  was  not  popular  with  the  democrats  themselves.  Grant  car- 
ried Clayton  county  by  201  majority.  Stoneman  was  again  the  can- 
didate for  Congress  and  defeated  Donnan  by  285,  although  he  was  not 
elected  in  the  district.  For  circuit  judge,  C.  P.  Granger  of  Allamakee, 
afterward  a  supreme  judge  and  recognized  as  one  of  the  great  jurists 
of  Iowa,  was  elected  without  opposition.  Republicans  elected  were 
Marvin  Cook,  clerk,  over  L.  A.  Mahoney  by  176,  and  P.  P.  Olmstead, 
supervisor,  by  235,  over  William  Eno.  Among  the  democrats,  R.  L. 
Freeman  was  successful  for  recorder,  defeating  John  B.  Meyer  by  119. 

By  1873  there  was  a  complete  political  revolution  in  Clayton 
county.  The  prohibition  question  had  entered  into  politics  and  the 
opposition  to  the  republicans  was  known  as  the  "Liberal"  party.  J.  G. 
Vale,  democrat,  carried  the  county  for  governor,  against  C.  C.  Car- 
penter, by  431  ;  A.  F.  Tipton  and  Alexander  Bleidung,  republicans, 


214  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

were  defeated  by  J.  C.  Rounds  and  B.  F.  Schroeder,  liberals,  for  rep- 
resentative. Martin  Garber  for  auditor,  J.  F.  Thompson  for  superin- 
tendent and  H.  D.  Bronson  for  coroner  on  the  republican  ticket  had 
no  opposition.  Henry  Kellner,  treasurer,  was  re-elected  over  Adolph 
Papin  by  more  than  700.  W.  A.  Benton  began  his  career  as  sheriff  by 
defeating  J.  A.  Hysham  by  851,  and  Ezra  Hurd,  democrat,  for  sur- 
veyor, and  M.  Uriell,  democrat,  for  supervisor,  were  elected. 

The  year  1874  saw  an  increase  of  the  "People's  Party"  move- 
ment and  the  county  went  more  heavily  against  the  republicans,  the 
opposition  winning,  by  582,  on  the  state  ticket.  For  Congress,  L.  L. 
Ainsworth  defeated  C.  T.  Granger,  republican,  both  in  the  county  and 
the  district,  and  Reuben  Noble,  democrat,  was  given  the  splendid  ma- 
jority of  1,386  over  Milo  McGlathery  for  district  judge.  In  the 
county,  the  fusion  ticket,  styled  "anti-monopoly,"  elected  R.  L.  Free- 
man as  recorder,  but  M.  Cook,  republican,  for  clerk,  and  W.  Thoma, 
republican,  for  supervisor,  were  elected. 

In  1875,  the  republicans  renominated  S.  J.  Kirkwood,  the  old  war 
governor,  for  governor,  while  the  opposition  ran  a  fusion  ticket  headed 
by  Shepherd  Leffler.  Judge  Noble  held  his  first  term  of  court  at 
Elkader,  in  January,  1875,  and  he  was  a  very  popular  judge.  It  is 
related  of  him  that  when  he  first  was  called  upon  to  pronounce  sen- 
tence, being  more  used  to  politics  than  to  the  bench,  he  sentenced  the 
prisoner  at  the  bar  saying,  'Tt  will  be  my  painful  duty  to  sentence  you 
to  the  legislature  of  the  state  for  four  years."  The  account  continues, 
"Amid  the  sobs  of  the  poor  prisoner  and  the  beseeching  words,  'O 
judge,  can't  you  cut  it  off  a  year?'  were  indistinctly  heard  from  the 
bench  the  words,  'Penitentiary,  I  mean.'  Returning  from  court,  the 
lawyers  undertook  to  ridicule  this  extraordinary  sentence.  When  the 
subject  was  evidently  exhausted,  the  judge,  with  a  gravity  that  seemed 
to  imply  a  rebuke  of  such  trifling,  said:  'Gentlemen,  in  reviewing  my 
first  effort  on  the  bench  I  can  recall  but  one  mistake  that  I  am  con- 
scious of.'  After  a  pause  someone  ventured  to  inquire  what  that  was. 
'When  I  took  back  the  word  legislature  and  said  penitentiary — con- 
found these  horse  thieves  !'  " 

The  temperance  question  continued  to  be  the  chief  issue  in  1875, 
and  F.  D.  Bayless  was  chairman  of  the  Clayton  county  liberal  conven- 
tion, held  in  June.  A  personal  liberty  association  was  formed  at 
Elkader,  with  E.  P.  Clark  as  president  and  J.  L.  Hagensick  as  secre- 
tary. Wholesale  dealers  in  liquors  were  assessed  $50  for  member- 
ship, wholesalers  of  wine  and  brewers  $25  each,  and  saloon  keepers 
$12.50.  The  liberal  county  convention  was  held  at  Elkader,  June  19, 
and  resolved  against  the  prohibitory  law.  This  movement  seems  to 
have  made  considerable  inroads  upon  the  republican  ranks,  for  Thomas 
Updegrafif  was  one  of  the  delegates  selected.  The  republican  county 
convention  made  no  declaration  on  the  liquor  question.  The  demo- 
crats carried  the  county  by  more  than  300,  electing  Stoneman,  senator ; 
Mentzel  and  White,  representatives;  Benton,  sheriff;  Brown,  sur- 
veyor ;  H.  C.  Hoxsie,  coroner,  and  Isaac  Otis,  supervisor.  The  repub- 
licans, Garber  for  auditor,  Kellner,  treasurer,  and  Thompson,  super- 
intendent. 

Hayes-Tilden  Campaign — The  election  of  1876  had  the  usual  ex- 


DEVELOPMENT    PERIOD — 187O-1880  215 

citement  of  the  presidential  campaign.  There  had  been  a  number  of 
scandals  in  administration  and  the  republican  party  was  weakened. 
Early  in  the  spring,  L.  L.  Ainsworth  declined  to  be  a  candidate  for 
congress  and  Reuben  Noble  was  suggested  for  the  position,  but  refused 
to  be  candidate.  Martin  Garber  was  brought  forward  by  the  repub- 
licans of  Clayton  county  as  a  congressional  candidate  but,  on  the  22nd 
ballot,  he  was  defeated  for  the  nomination  by  T.  W.  Burdick.  By 
this  time  the  Greenback  party  had  become  something  of  a  force.  It 
held  a  convention  at  Strawberry  Point  and  nominated  E.  F.  Gaylord 
for  congress.  In  the  democratic  county  convention,  there  was  a  hot 
race  between  Freeman  and  McGonigal,  for  recorder,  which  the  latter 
won  on  the  fifth  ballot.  On  national  issues  the  county  was  still  repub- 
lican and  Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  for  president,  received  40  majority 
over  Samuel  J.  Tilden.  Burdick  was  elected  to  congress,  Cook  for 
clerk,  Schecker  for  surveyor  and  P.  P.  Olmstead  for  supervisor,  were 
elected  on  the  republican  ticket ;  while  McGonigal,  for  recorder,  and 
Eberhard,  for  supervisor,  were  successful  democrats.  The  presiden- 
tial election  was  very  close,  both  sides  claiming  the  victory,  and  it  was 
not  for  many  months  that  it  was  decided  by  an  electoral  commission. 
During  this  time  there  were  many  charges  of  fraud  on  both  sides  and 
much  bitterness  was  created.  The  McGregor  Times,  for  the  first  time, 
used  an  election  rooster,  and  McGregor  celebrated  the  supposed  victory 
of  Tilden. 

In  1877,  the  money  question  was  paramount  and  the  democrats 
denounced  what  was  later  known  as  the  "crime  of  73."  The  Green- 
backers  organized  with  A.  T.  Lawrence,  David  Hammer  and  W.  P. 
Eno  as  central  committee.  In  the  county  the  chief  fight  was  for  rep- 
resentative, Thomas  Updegraff  and  Alexander  Bleidung  being  the  re- 
publican nominees.  This  year  there  was  a  complete  victory  for  the 
republicans  and  in  the  legislature  of  1878  it  was  said  that  Clayton 
county  ruled  the  state,  for  Stoneman  led  in  the  senate  and  Updegraflf 
led  in  the  house. 

In  1878,  there  was  complete  fusion  between  the  democrats  and 
greenbackers,  each  having  four  places  on  the  state  ticket.  Joseph 
Eiboeck,  former  editor  of  the  Elkader  Journal,  and  then  editing  the 
Des  Moines  Anzeiger,  was  the  fusion  candidate  for  state  auditor,  and 
while  the  head  of  the  fusion  ticket  received  17  majority,  the  county 
complimented  its  old  time  editor  with  a  majority  of  227.  In  the  re- 
publican ranks  there  was  a  bitter  fight  between  the  adherents  of  Blei- 
dung and  the  supporters  of  Updegraff,  who  was  a  candidate  for  con- 
gress. Double  caucuses  were  held  in  Cox  Creek  and  the  delegation 
from  Cox  Creek,  Millville,  Garnavillo,  Clayton  and  Jefferson  bolted 
the  convention  which  instructed  delegates  for  Updegraff.  The  con- 
gressional convention  was  held  at  McGregor.  Cooley  of  Winneshiek, 
Donnan  of  Buchanan,  and  Updegraff  were  candidates.  There  were 
326  ballots  taken  and  Updegraff  won.  The  feeling  against  Updegraff 
did  not  seem  to  extend  to  the  election  for  he  received  a  majority  of 
808,  being  elected  by  several  thousand  in  the  district.  One  of  the 
largest  majorities  ever  given  a  man  in  Clayton  county  was  that  given 


2l6  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Judge  Noble  for  re-election.  He  received  a  majority  of  2,113.  During 
the  next  year  he  was  tendered  the  nomination  for  Supreme  Judge 
but  refused  on  the  ground  that  he  had  just  received  such  a  magnificent 
indorsement  and  did  not  feel  that  he  should  desert  his  post.  Robert 
Quigley,  republican,  carried  the  county  for  district  attorney,  but  was 
defeated  in  the  district.  The  republican  elected  was  Marvin  Cook, 
clerk,  and  the  democrats  elected  McGonigal  for  recorder  and  Scofield 
supervisor.  The  county  election  of  1879  hinged  upon  the  question  of 
economy,  the  democrats  and  greenbackers  uniting  that  the  salaries  of 
the  officers  be  reduced.  John  Everall  was  a  candidate  for  auditor, 
agreeing  to  conduct  the  office  for  $1,900,  instead  of  the  $2,800  then 
paid.  John  H.  Gear  was  the  republican  candidate  for  governor  and 
both  he  and  ex-Governor  Kirkwood  spoke  at  Garnavillo  and  the  repub- 
licans made  a  determined  effort  to  regain  supremacy  in  the  county. 
Gear  carried  the  county  by  474,  The  resignation  of  Noble  as  a  candi- 
date for  supreme  judge  was  not  accepted  by  the  democrats,  but  he 
made  no  active  campaign  and  the  vote  in  the  county  against  him  was 
152.  Martin  Garber  defeated  John  T.  Stoneman  for  senator,  and 
Gregor  McGregor,  republican,  and  John  Van  Staden,  democrat,  were 
elected  representatives.  The  balance  of  the  county  ticket  elected  was: 
C.  E.  Floete,  treasurer ;  L.  H.  Place,  democrat,  sheriff,  and  republican, 
J.  M.  Leach,  auditor;  P.  W.  McClellan,  county  superintendent;  Hel- 
muth  Brandt,  supervisor;  Charles  Schecker,  surveyor,  and  W.  A. 
Penfield,  coroner. 

County  Government — 1870  was  the  last  year  under  the  old  super- 
visor system  and,  in  1871,  the  new  board,  consisting  of  O.  W.  Crary, 
P.  P.  Olmstead  and  Michael  Uriell,  took  the  reins  of  county  govern- 
ment. It  was  still  necessary  to  lease  rooms  for  the  district  court  and 
the  board  rented  the  second  story  of  Vail  Boiler's  building,  for  $500 
per  year,  for  the  court  and  public  meetings,  but  not  "for  dances  and 
the  like."  In  1870,  there  was  a  red  hot  fight  among  the  newspapers 
to  secure  the  county  printing,  which  was  to  be  let  to  the  newspaper 
having  the  largest  circulation.  Eiboeck,  of  the  Journal,  solemnly 
swore  to  a  circulation  of  2,760,  the  McGregor  News  claimed  1,447 
and  Richardson,  of  the  Times,  made  affidavit  to  a  list  of  2,901.  The 
next  year  the  board  passed  a  resolution  intimating  that  they  wanted 
the  newspapers  to  get  down  to  real  facts  and  the  result  was  that,  in 
1871,  the  Journal  swore  to  950  subscribers,  the  News  to  690  and  the 
Times  to  1,010.  This  was  an  alarming  decrease,  unless  some  news- 
paper man  was  guilty  of  prevarication  the  year  before. 

Court  House  Completed — In  September,  1876,  McGregor  filed  a 
petition  of  2,962  names  asking  an  election  for  the  removal  of  the 
county  seat.  A  remonstrance  containing  3,408  names  was  filed  and 
there  was  a  lively  session  of  the  board  which  lasted  for  two  days  in 
which  the  strong  men  of  McGregor  and  Elkader  were  drawn  up  in 
battle  array.  The  board  decided  that  the  petition  was  insufficient  and 
the  election  was  not  ordered.  The  following  April  the  board  voted 
$5,000  for  the  completion  of  the  court  house,  upon  the  bond  furnished 
by  citizens  of  Elkader  agreeing  to  erect  a  building  according  to  speci- 
fications, for  that  amount.  It  was  understood  that  the  building  would 
cost  much  more,  but  the  citizens  agreed  to  stand  all  added  expense. 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD 187O-1880  2iy 

This  was  effected  by  means  of  a  considerable  sum  subscribed  in  Elka- 
der  and  the  work  was  done  thoroughly  and  in  a  workman-like  manner 
and  proved  a  good  bargain  for  the  county.  The  cost  to  the  citizens 
of  Elkader  was  about  $5,000  above  the  amount  voted  by  the  board. 
Thus  was  completed  the  court  house  of  Clayton  county,  practically  as 
it  stands  today,  with  the  exception  that,  later,  Elkaderites  bought  the 
clock  and  the  county  provided  the  tower  which  contains  it,  and  large 
fireproof  vaults  were  added. 

The  building,  while  not  ornate,  is  substantial,  well-built,  light  and 
airy  and  beautifully  located.  The  vaults  are  large  and  fire-proof,  and 
while  it  is  hoped  that  some  day  Clayton  will  feel  able  to  erect  a  court 
house  worthy  of  one  of  the  richest  and  most  beautiful  counties  in  Iowa, 
the  present  building  suffices  for  all  practical  purposes.  It  was  not  to 
be  expected  that  McGregor,  which  had  but  recently  been  dashed  in  its 
hopes  of  securing  the  county  seat,  should  look  with  favor  upon  the 
enlargement  of  the  court  house,  and  the  McGregor  Times  had  this  to 
say  concerning  it:  "The  county  board,  at  its  last  session,  we  under- 
stand, made  an  appropriation  of  $5,000  for  the  construction  of  an 
addition  to  the  present  building  occupied  by  the  officers  of  the  county. 
According  to  the  plans  and  specifications  presented  to  the  board,  the 
new  addition  is  to  be  50x75,  with  a  hall-way  between  the  new  and  old 
buildings,  12  feet  wide.  On  the  first  floor  of  the  new  building  will  be 
the  clerk's  office,  front  room  30x36,  vault  8x26;  the  rear  room,  audi- 
tor's office,  30x36,  vault  8x16.  The  treasurer's  and  recorder's  offices 
the  same  as  now.  The  second  floor  to  be  divided  as  follows :  Court 
room,  in  clear,  36x73  ;  sheriff's  office,  21x23  ;  superintendent  of  schools' 
office,  21x23,  ^"d  two  jury  rooms,  each  14x21,  and  hall-way  of  same 
dimensions  as  one  below ;  the  whole  to  be  covered  with  a  hip  shingle 
roof.  A  number  of  citizens  of  Elkader  take  control  of  the  erection 
of  this  new  addition,  raising  a  like  sum  with  that  appropriated  by  the 
board  for  its  construction.  These  citizens,  we  understand,  have  given 
bonds  in  the  sum  of  $20,000  for  the  faithful  performance  of  the  con- 
tract into  which  they  have  entered,  and  have  received  the  $5,000  in 
county  warrants  as  the  nucleus  of  their  building  fund.  We  cannot 
object  to  Clayton  county  having  a  court  house ;  in  fact,  we  are  anxious 
she  should  have  one,  and  that  right  speedily,  but  to  attempt  to  patch 
on  to  the  present  building  is,  in  our  opinion,  about  the  most  ridiculous 
thing  the  county  can  do.  If  we  are  to  have  a  court  house,  let  us  have 
one  creditable  to  the  county.  The  county  is  amply  able  to  build  a 
respectable  appearing  and  substantial  building,  one  that  would  be,  in 
all  respects,  worthy;  but  to  add  to  the  old  one,  never  regarded  safe, 
is,  to  say  the  least,  an  expensive  luxury  which  will  not  meet  with  gen- 
eral approval."  There  were,  of  course,  many  other  acts  of  the  board 
of  supervisors,  but  these  relate  chiefly  to  the  matter  of  roads  and 
bridges,  and  while  of  great  importance  they  are  too  numerous  and  too 
much  matters  of  routine  to  receive  special  mention. 

County  Expense — From  1870  to  1880  the  expenses  of  the  county 
remained  at  about  $50,000  per  year.  Of  this  amount  approximately 
one  fourth  was  spent  annually  for  bridges.  The  county  expenditures 
for  this  period  were  as  follows : 


2l8  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

187I $47,354-64  1876 $62,399.59 

1872 55,59740  1877 48,99170 

1873 46,080.47  1878 57,008.27 

1874 43,408.35  1879 50,736.06 

1875 49,544-27  1880 56,526.65 

It  is  difficult  to  give  the  history  of  the  county  as  a  whole  except  by 
mentioning  events,  disconnected  of  themselves,  but,  nevertheless,  show- 
ing the  general  trend  of  the  county  and  those  things  which  interested 
it  generally.  The  truth  is  that,  whereas  the  towns  along  the  new  rail- 
road saw  periods  of  flush  times,  the  county  as  a  whole  had  settled  down 
to  a  period  of  routine  development.  New  things  came,  but  they  came 
gradually,  old  settlers  passed  away,  but  they  went,  one  by  one. 

First  Base  Ball — It  is  in  June,  1870,  that  the  first  mention  of  base 
ball  is  made  in  a  Clayton  county  newspaper.  The  McGregor  Times 
speaks  of  it  and  declares  that  "it  is  one  of  the  silliest  bundles  of  boy- 
ishness ever  invented  by  people  boasting  intelligence.  In  a  short  sen- 
tence we  beg  leave  to  say  the  whole  business  is  damn  nonsense." 
Nevertheless,  the  Times  was  soon  forced  to  recognize  this  sort  of 
"nonsense"  in  its  columns  and  it  began  giving  lengthy  accounts  of  the 
games.  The  first  game  which  it  records  was  one  between  the  Quick 
Steps  of  McGregor  and  the  Rough  and  Ready's  of  Harper's  Ferry. 
The  score  stood  97  to  12  in  favor  of  the  Quick  Steps.  The  Quick 
Steps  soon  tripped  up,  however,  in  a  10  inning  game  with  the  Elkader 
Turkey  Gobblers.  This  exciting  game  stood  a  tie  of  41  to  41  at  the 
end  of  the  ninth  inning,  but,  in  the  fatal  tenth,  the  Quick  Steps  secured 
but  6  scores,  while  the  Turkey  Gobblers  strutted  proudly  from  the 
field  with  12  added  runs  to  their  credit.  These  first  games  of  "organ- 
ized" base  ball  were  played  in  June,  1871.  A  great  event  of  1870 
was  the  reunion  of  Iowa  soldiers  at  Des  Moines.  The  state  furnished 
transportation  and  all  the  soldiers  who  could  possibly  get  away  at- 
tended this  meeting. 

Chicago  Fire — 1871  was  the  year  of  the  great  Chicago  fire  and 
when  the  call  for  help  came  this  county  responded  nobly.  A  meeting 
was  called  at  McGregor,  $273  was  subscribed  in  cash,  and  much  more 
than  that  amount  was  given  in  goods  and  supplies.  The  mayor  and 
other  citizens  went  to  Chicago  to  tender  their  services  and  many  citi- 
zens went  to  inspect  the  ruins.  At  that  time  the  relations  between 
the  merchants  of  Chicago  and  the  cities  of  the  west  were  largely  per- 
sonal and  that  city  had  not  so  far  outstripped  the  other  cities  but  that 
they  all  felt  on  a  par  and  had  neighborly  interest  in  each  other. 

While  Clayton  county  made  a  gain  of  six  in  population  from  1870 
to  1875,  the  census  of  1873  shows  the  loss  of  825  over  the  1870 
census.  This  was  accounted  for  by  the  large  number  of  laborers  em- 
ployed on  the  railroad  from  Dubuque  to  McGregor  in  1870.  One  of 
the  new  institutions  established  in  1875  was  the  Northwestern  Steam 
Hoop  Company,  established  at  Clayton.  This  was  one  of  the  first 
companies  in  America  to  manufacture  hoops  by  steam  power.  Poles 
were  shipped  by  the  carload  from  many  points  and  hundreds  of  wagon 
loads  were  furnished  by  the  farmers  of  the  vicinity.  The  first  mention 
of  Charles  Reugnitz,  afterward,  for  many  years,  treasurer  of  Clayton 


DEVELOPMENT    PERIOD 187O-1880  2I9 

county,  appears  when  he  is  spoken  of  as  the  manager  of  this  concern. 
The  fastest  growing  town  in  the  county,  in  the  early  70's,  was  Monona, 
and  it  advanced  with  rapid  strides.  By  1875  it  claimed,  with  justice, 
to  be  the  second  city  of  the  county  in  commercial  importance.  It  was 
in  the  center  of  a  rich  agricultural  country  and  its  trade  territory  ex- 
tended both  into  Allamakee  and  Clayton.  Bismarck  was  a  new  town 
on  the  line  of  the  narrow  gauge,  as  was  Froelich.  Bismarck  was  sur- 
veyed in  May,  1875,  and  it  was  thought  that  it  would  be  an  important 
point,  but  it  is  now  no  more. 

Second  Gold  Discovery — The  great  sensation  of  1875  was  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  at  Strawberry  Point.  The  first  discovery  of  the  pre- 
cious metal,  at  this  place,  was  in  1858,  but,  in  1875,  the  excitement 
was  revived  by  the  discovery  of  fine  particles  of  gold  in  the  ravine 
known  as  "Bushee  Hollow"  and  on  the  Baker  farm.  The  McGregor 
Times  sent  a  special  correspondent  to  the  new  gold  field.  He  reported 
that  every  pan  full  "showed  color"  and  fifteen  or  twenty  specimens 
w^ere  obtained  from  three  washings.  The  account  adds :  "It  did  not 
matter  where  the  dirt  was  taken  from,  there  was  sure  to  be  color  as 
the  result  of  the  washing.  We  were  also  furnished  with  specimens  of 
the  bed-rock,  sand,  and  with  the  little  nugget  that  has  passed  through 
the  hands  of  competent  men  at  Dubuque.  The  work  of  building  long 
flumes,  or  wooden  troughs,  has  been  completed  and  a  considerable 
amount  of  dirt  washed,  with  very  favorable  results.  The  gold  is  very 
fine,  the  largest  lump  being  no  larger  than  a  pin  head.  A  company  has 
been  formed,  and  as  soon  as  the  required  amount  of  capital  is  sub- 
scribed, the  attempt  wall  be  made  to  test  the  discoveries.  Gold  is  found 
within  a  radius  of  a  mile  and  there  is  hardly  a  ravine  in  which  gold 
cannot  be  found."  The  Times  report  continues  very  enthusiastically, 
but,  as  there  is  no  later  mention,  the  company  undoubtedly  failed  to 
make  it  pay. 

Clayton  County  Insurance  Co. — In  1878,  the  Clayton  County 
Farmers'  Insurance  Company  was  founded  with  W.  P.  Enos  as  presi- 
dent and  J.  E.  Corlett  as  secretary.  This  was  just  in  time  for,  in  July, 
the  county  suflfered  greatly  from  storms  and  floods. 

In  April,  1878,  Corbett  and  Lovett's  bank  at  Strawberry  Point 
was  robbed.  The  robbers  were  caught  at  the  time,  but  after  an  ex- 
change of  shots  one  of  them  escaped.  Sheriff  Benton  camped  on 
the  fellow's  trail  and  by  clever  detective  work  succeeded  in  locating 
him  in  the  Bloomington,  Illinois,  jail  and  he  was  brought  back  to  this 
county  for  trial.     Sheriff  Benton  was  given  great  credit  for  this  arrest. 

In  May,  1879,  ^^^  first  county  medical  association  was  formed. 
The  meeting  was  held  in  the  office  of  Dr.  K.  F.  Purdy  at  Elkader, 
and  the  physicians  present  were :  Drs.  S.  N.  Bixby,  M.  M.  Newman 
of  Strawberry  Point ;  J.  W.  McLean,  Volga ;  T.  M.  Sabin,  Brush 
Creek;  J.  M.  Lewis  and  O.  D.  Taft,  Elkport;  W.  H.  Boals,  Garna- 
villo ;  D.  W.  Chase,  A.  D.  Hanna,  K.  F.  Purdy  and  G.  Wheeland  of 
Elkader.  This  was  the  first  county  organization,  but  there  had  been 
a  district  organization  for  some  time. 

Poor  Farm  Murder — What  was  long  known  as  the  "poor  farm 
murder"  occurred  July  4,  1879.  This  was  the  outcome  of  a  long 
standing  quarrel  between  two  of  the  pauper  inmates,  neither  of  whom 


220  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

were  mental  giants.  John  Simons  was  the  murderer  and  Charles 
Schultz  the  victim.  On  the  morning  of  the  Fourth,  Simons  took  his 
shot-gun  with  which  he  often  went  hunting,  fired  a  salute  in  honor  of 
the  day  and  then  went  into  the  poor  house  and  deliberately  shot  Schultz 
in  the  temple.  Simon  was  convicted  of  murder  in  the  second  degree 
and  sent  to  the  penitentiary  for  the  term  of  twenty  years.  But  a  short 
time  previous  to  the  shooting,  Simon  was  arrested  for  an  assault  upon 
Schultz  with  a  club,  but  was  returned  to  the  poor  house  on  promise  of 
good  behavior. 

Enfield — It  is  probably  generally  forgotten,  but  when  the  railroad 
was  built  through  Strawberry  Point,  the  town  was  given  the  name  of 
Enfield  by  the  company.  The  inhabitants  did  not  take  kindly  to  the 
change  of  name,  however,  and  the  Strawberry  Point  Press,  in  July, 
1875,  says :  "Enfield  is  no  more.  This  town  is  now  known  to  the  world 
simply  as  Strawberry  Point.  When  the  D.  &  N.  W.  pulled  up  stakes 
and  left  this  section,  Enfield  ceased  to  exist,  and  the  brakemen,  on 
reaching  this  place,  now  yell  out  'Strawberry  Point.'  The  railroad 
has  been  re-christened  the  Delaware,  Fayette  &  Northwestern."  Two 
interesting  items  in  1879  ^^^  ^^e  leasing  of  the  Motor  mill  by  Gilbert 
Thompson,  of  Dubuque  and  Theodore  Ponson  of  Communia ;  and  the 
death  of  Fred  Zeug,  who  was  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  hogshead  of 
beer  at  Kleinlein's  brewery  in  Cass  township. 

Death  Roll  of  the  Pioneers — As  the  county  aged  the  early  pio- 
neers, the  men  who  have  been  identified  with  the  foundation  of  things 
Claytonian,  began  passing  away.  The  first  of  these  notable  deaths 
was  that  of  E.  Odell,  who  died  in  March,  1875. 

Elijah  Odell  was  born  in  Vigo  county,  Ind.,  Sept.  22,  1812,  of 
parents  who  emigrated  from  North  Carolina,  and  was  brought  up  on 
a  farm  which  his  father,  himself  and  brother  carved  out  of  the  heavy 
Wabash  timber  of  Carroll  county.  On  attaining  his  majority  he  set 
to  work  to  secure  for  himself  an  academical  education,  after  which  he 
entered  upon  the  study  of  law  with  Hiram  Allen,  Esq.,  of  Delphi,  Ind., 
with  all  the  ardor  of  his  nature,  and  never  for  a  single  day,  up  to  his 
last  illness,  did  he  abate  a  jot  or  tittle  of  his  earnestness  or  zeal.  He 
began  the  practice  at  Rensselaer,  Jasper  county,  Ind.,  in  1846-47,  where 
he  was  married,  about  that  time,  to  Rebecca  S.,  a  sister  of  Thos. 
Updegraff.  In  1852,  he  was  chosen  State  Senator  for  the  district 
composed  of  the  counties  of  Jasper,  Benton,  and  Warren,  Indiana,  and 
in  this  capacity  served  with  credit  and  acceptability  in  the  same  assem- 
bly with  A.  P.  Richardson.  He  continued  the  practice  at  Rensselaer 
until  the  spring  of  1854,  when,  feeling  obliged  to  abandon  Indiana 
on  account  of  sickness  of  himself  and  children,  incident  to  that  ma- 
larious chmate,  he  removed  to  Binghamton,  N.  Y.  A  few  weeks  of 
the  purer  air  of  New  York  restored  his  family  to  health  and  himself 
to  his  natural  vigor.  At  that  time  Daniel  S.  Dickinson,  Balcom  Bird- 
sail  and  others  of  equal  distinction  were  in  active  practice  at  the  Bing- 
hamton bar.  The  business  of  the  place  was  not  extensive.  Under 
such  circumstances  professional  advancement  by  a  stranger  must  be 
made  by  slow  degrees.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  he  opened  an 
office,  and  in  a  single  year  accomplished  quite  a  handsome  business, 
all  things  considered.     But,  with  restored  vigor,  his  active  spirit  pined 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD 187O-1880  221 

for  his  native  West,  where  more  rapid  headway  seemed  possible ;  and, 
having  visited  Clayton  County  in  the  autumn  of  1853,  ^"^  purchased 
some  land  in  Monona  and  Grand  Meadow  for  himself  and  a  New 
York  friend,  and  being  convinced  that  this  climate  was  free  from 
malaria,  in  the  spring  of  1855  he  folded  his  tent  and  hastened  to  Iowa 
with  his  family,  after  which  time  he  was  a  resident  of  Clayton  County, 
having  lived  successively  at  Garnavillo,  Elkader,  Guttenburg  and  Mc- 
Gregor, locating  permanently  in  McGregor  in  1858.  Mr.  Odell  was 
not  an  office  seeker  and  was  one  of  the  few  among  the  leaders  of  the 
county  who  were  not  candidates  for  office.  Politically  he  was  known 
as  "a  silver  grey  Whig"  and  after  the  dissolution  of  that  party  he 
acted  with  the  Democrats  up  to  i860.  With  the  nomination  of  Lin- 
coln, however,  he  joined  the  Republican  party  and  was  one  of  its 
leaders  in  this  county  until  his  death.  In  1872  he  was  presidential 
elector  for  the  third  Iowa  district  and  was  selected  to  cast  the  vote  of 
the  state  in  the  national  electoral  college.  He  died  while  still  in  the 
prime  of  life.  He  was  a  great  trial  lawyer  and  so  intimate  was  his 
knowledge  of  the  law  that  he  was  eminently  successful  before  the 
Supreme  Court.  His  death  was  genuinely  mourned  by  the  people  of 
the  county. 

A.  J.  Jordan — In  June,  1875,  McGregor  lost  a  prominent  business 
man  in  the  person  of  A.  J.  Jordan,  another  member  of  the  bar  who 
located  in  McGregor  in  1858,  although  he  first  came  to  the  county  in 
1854. 

Lemuel  G.  Collins — The  following  year,  in  March,  occurred  the 
death  of  Lemuel  G.  Collins,  a  resident  of  Giard  since  185 1  and  a 
member  of  the  legislature  from  Clayton  county  in  1856.  But  a  month 
later,  in  April,  1876,  the  county  lost  one  of  its  dearest  friends  in  the 
death  of  Horace  D.  Bronson.  A  sketch  of  Mr.  Bronson,  who  was 
one  of  the  earliest  pioneers,  appears  in  another  chapter. 

William  Thoma — In  July,  of  the  same  year,  William  Thoma  died. 
He  was  at  that  time  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors.  He  was 
born  in  Bavaria,  in  1827,  came  to  Clayton  county,  in  1852,  and  was 
for  many  years  in  partnership  with  C.  W.  Hagensick  in  the  mercantile 
business  at  Garnavillo.  He  was  succeeded  on  the  board  by  P.  P. 
Olmstead. 

Rev.  David  Loztry — In  January,  1877,  occurred  the  death  of  Rev. 
David  Lowry,  at  the  advanced  age  of  82.  Although  he  was  not  a 
resident  of  Clayton  county  at  the  time  of  his  death,  he  was,  in  the 
early  days,  one  of  its  best  known  pioneers.  He  came  to  Iowa  in  1835, 
as  a  missionary  and  educator  to  the  Winnebago  Indians  and  was  first 
located  at  the  Stone  House,  on  Yellow  River,  in  Allamakee  county. 
He  was  appointed  an  Indian  agent  and,  for  15  years,  devoted  himself 
to  the  best  interests  of  the  Indians,  doing  all  that  he  could  to  educate 
them,  give  them  practical  instruction  in  agriculture  and  to  protect 
them  from  the  whites  who  wished  to  exploit  them  and  to  sell  them 
whiskey.  Something  of  his  labors  have  been  told  in  the  early  chapters. 
He  resided  in  this  vicinity  until  1874  when  he  removed  to  Missouri. 
In  his  day  he  was  one  of  the  most  powerful  men  of  northeastern  Iowa. 

Among  those  to  die  in  1877  were  George  D.  Gardener,  a  brother 
of  Mrs.  Alexander  McGregor,  who  resided  in  McGregor  from  1850 


222  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  1866,  at  which  time  he  went  to  South  Carolina  with  Hon.  WiUis 
Drummond  in  the  revenue  service  of  the  United  States.  Another  was 
Henry  Reubel,  who  died  at  McGregor  after  a  short  illness.  He  was 
prominent  in  McGregor  business  circles,  moving  to  that  city  in  i860. 

William  Schoultz  was  another  pioneer  to  die  in  1877.  He  was  a 
Prussian  by  birth  and  settled  in  Garnavillo  township  in  1841.  He  and 
his  descendants  were  among  the  most  influential  of  the  German  citizens. 

Dr.  John  Linton — No  death  afifected  the  county  more  sincerely 
than  did  that  of  Dr.  John  Linton.  This  occurred  June  27,  1878. 
Dr.  John  Linton  was  born  in  Breckenridge  County,  Ky.,  Oct.  5,  1811, 
and  at  the  age  of  eleven  years  he  moved  with  his  parents  to  Logan 
County  in  the  same  state.  Here  he  assisted  his  father  in  clearing  up 
a  farm,  until  he  was  nearly  of  age,  when  he  was  apprenticed  to  a 
tanner  and  furrier.  In  1837,  after  he  had  learned  this  trade,  he  started 
to  explore  the  county  along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and, 
in  the  spring  of  that  year,  he  arrived  at  Prairie  due  Chien.  Rev, 
David  Lowry,  agent  for  the  Winnebago  Indians,  appointed  him  gen- 
eral manager  of  his  business  along  the  whole  mission.  For  nearly  five 
years  he  discharged  his  trust  with  the  same  honor  and  fidelity  that 
characterized  all  his  actions  in  after  life.  A  strong  friendship  sprang 
up  between  Lowry  and  himself,  which  ended  only  with  their  lives. 
While  Linton  was  at  this  mission  on  Yellow  River  the  Govern- 
ment had  the  buildings  and  farm  sold,  and  moved  the  mission  to  Fort 
Atkinson,  and  Linton  and  his  brother  Thomas  purchased  it.  In  this 
stone  mission-house  the  first  District  Court  held  in  Allamakee  County 
met.  Judge  Grant,  of  Davenport,  presided,  and  Noble  and  Murdock 
constituted  the  entire  bar.  In  the  fall  of  1842  Dr,  Linton  sold  out  his 
interest  in  the  mission  farm  to  his  brother  and  went  back  to  his  native 
State,  and,  in  the  town  of  Springfield,  studied  medicine  with  Dr. 
Poland,  an  able  and  eminent  physician  of  that  place.  In  the  fall  of 
1844  he  went  to  St.  Louis  and  attended  a  course  of  medical  lectures. 
In  the  spring  of  1845,  he  left  that  city  and  made  an  extensive  tour 
through  the  different  states  and  territories  bordering  on  the  Missis- 
sippi, finally  locating  at  Garnavillo.  He  spent  the  winter  of  1845-46 
in  St.  Louis,  attending  medical  college,  and  then  returned  to  Garna- 
villo in  company  with  Dr.  Burgess,  a  young  man  of  finished  education 
and  brilliant  talent.  They  entered  into  partnership,  and  established  a 
successful  practice.  Dr.  Burgess,  however,  was  of  a  roving  dispo- 
sition, and  soon  left  the  country.  It  is  said  that  he  went  to  Mexico. 
After  Burgess  left,  he  formed  a  partnership  with  Dr.  Andros,  which 
continued  with  prosperity  until  Dr.  Andros  removed  to  McGregor. 
Soon  after  the  gold  excitement  broke  out  at  Pike's  Peak,  he  made  a 
trip  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  where  he  located  several  gold  claims 
and  made  geological  explorations. 

In  1873,  ^^  company  with  the  Hon.  J.  O.  Crosby  and  Hon.  William 
Larrabee,  he  crossed  the  Atlantic  and  visited  the  principal  countries  of 
Europe.  He  attended  the  great  medical  congress  at  Vienna.  Toward 
the  close  of  his  life  he  associated  with  him  in  the  practice  Dr.  Bowles, 
a  young  man  of  high  professional  attainments.  His  object  in  this  was 
partly  to  give  him  more  opportunity  for  study,  his  taste  for  which  in- 
creased with  advancing  years.     His  death  was  mourned  by  a  large 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD — 187O-1880  223 

circle  of  devoted  friends,  and  by  it  society  lost  one  of  its  brightest 
ornaments,  his  profession  one  of  its  most  eminent  members,  and  science 
one  of  its  most  industrious  and  powerful  intellects.  Dr.  Linton  was 
unfortunate  in  his  married  life,  and  he  and  his  wife  separated;  at 
which  time  he  gave  her  a  large  portion  of  his  estate.  In  his  will  he 
made  many  bequests  for  the  benefit  of  Garnavillo  and  of  his  friends. 
J.  O.  Crosby  was  administrator.  The  will  was  successfully  contested 
by  the  widow  after  a  long  legal  battle.  In  1880,  Garnavillo  publicly 
observed  the  second  anniversary  of  Dr.  Linton's  death,  and,  at  this 
time,  prizes  authorized  in  his  will  were  given  Garnavillo  students. 
Edward  Kindsell  received  first  prize,  $22.00,  in  zoology,  and  Aug. 
Limbech  received  $11.00  as  second  prize.  In  geology,  Chas.  Fox 
and  Edward  Kindsell  received  like  prizes.  There  were  impressive 
ceremonies  at  the  grave,  the  prize  winners  taking  an  oath  to  care  for 
the  grave  of  their  benefactor  for  one  year,  when  the  duty  was  to  fall 
upon  the  new  prize  winners.  The  estate  became  involved  in  litigation 
and  there  is  no  record  of  later  prize  awards  or  annual  memorials. 
The  decision  in  favor  of  Mrs.  Linton  was  made  in  1883. 

Fred  Hartge — In  August,  1878,  Elkport  lost  a  pioneer  in  the  per- 
son of  Fred  Hartge.  He  was  born  in  Hanover,  came  to  this  country 
in  1833,  and  was  one  of  the  first  blacksmiths  in  Dubuque.  He  came 
to  Elkport,  June  15,  1839.  He  found  W.  W.  Wayman  already  here. 
Wayman  had  built  a  saw  mill  on  the  banks  of  Elk  Creek.  This  prop- 
erty Hartge  purchased,  built  a  log  hut  and  commenced  work  on  his 
saw  mill.  Soon  he  found  that  the  property  which  he  had  purchased 
was  not  that  which  he  occupied,  the  mill  being  situated  on  other  land. 
Then  followed  litigation  between  him  and  Wayman,  both  going  and 
returning  from  Dubuque  in  the  same  conveyance.  After  consider- 
able trouble,  he  succeeded  in  gaining  possession  of  the  mill  property, 
causing  an  enmity  to  spring  up  between  himself  and  Wayman.  In 
1846,  his  brother  Louis  came  to  him  as  his  companion  in  the  wilder- 
ness, both  occupying  the  same  hut.  About  two  years  after  occurred 
the  murder  of  Louis,  which  has  already  been  recorded  in  this  volume. 
Fred  Hartge  remained  with  his  mill,  enlarging  it  from  time  to  time, 
and  prospering  through  his  own  great  industry  and  through  the  inrush 
of  settlers  to  Elkport,  which  was  located  on  the  land  which  he  bought 
from  Wayman.  He  lived  to  enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  labor,  but  his 
death  was  hastened  by  his  over-taxing  his  strength  that  he  might 
attend  the  old  settlers'  reunion  held  in  June,  1878. 

S.  R.  Peet — Edgewood  also  lost  one  of  its  best  citizens  in  the 
passing  away  of  Honorable  S.  R.  Peet.  The  funeral  of  Mr.  Peet  was 
held  at  Delhi  and  was  said  to  have  been  the  largest  ever  held  in  Dela- 
ware county  up  to  that  time.  Mr.  Peet  located  in  Clayton  county,  in 
April,  1846,  on  the  county  line.  He  was  an  ardent  Christian  and  or- 
ganized the  first  Sunday  School  in  Lodomillo  township.  His  home 
was  always  the  stopping  place  for  the  early  settlers.  Nearly  all  of  his 
old  neighbors  could  say  that  they  spent  the  first  night  in  the  new 
country  at  Peet's  and  that  he  had  been  a  good  friend  ever  since.  Al- 
though a  consistent,  life-long  Democrat,  the  Republican  stumpers 
always  made  his  house  their  home.  So  orthodox  was  his  democracy 
that  it  is  told  of  him  that  he  was  presiding  at  a  Democratic  convention 


224  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

when  it  was  proposed  to  endorse  certain  nominees  of  the  Greenback 
party.  Mr.  Peet  arose  with  dignity  and  announced,  "The  present 
occupant  of  the  chair  cannot  sit  as  president  if  the  convention  is  not 
purely  Democratic."  Hon.  S.  R.  Peet  was  elected  as  a  Democrat,  to 
the  general  assembly  in  the  fall  of  1859  from  Clayton  county,  and 
was  a  member  during  the  passage  of  the  war  measures  at  the  extra 
session,  and  took  an  active  part  in  bringing  the  state  up  to  its  exalted 
position  in  the  Union  as  a  loyal  state.  He  was  one  of  the  strong  mem- 
bers of  the  Clayton  county  bar  and  his  removal  to  Delaware  county 
was  regretted  by  all. 

John  W.  Potts,  who  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1846,  was  another 
pioneer  of  the  southern  part  of  the  county  who  died  at  this  time.  He 
entered  land  at  the  Colony  settlement  in  1846  and  lived  in  this  county 
until  1869.  He  was  assessor  of  Clayton  county  and  held  the  impor- 
tant position  of  swamp  land  commissioner  for  the  period  of  two  years. 

John  W.  Gillett — A  week  later,  in  January,  1879,  John  W.  Gillett 
was  added  to  the  death  roll,  another  of  the  pioneers  who  spent  his 
manhood  days  in  this  county  and  his  old  age  in  another.  Samuel  Mur- 
dock,  who  was  the  county  biographer,  just  as  Judge  Price  was  the 
county  historian,  wrote  a  beautiful  tribute  to  this  pioneer,  which  was 
printed  in  the  Elkader  Journal,  and  from  which  we  quote:  "Thirty- 
six  years  ago  the  coming  summer  I  met  John  W.  Gillett  for  the  first 
time  at  the  Washington  House  at  Dubuque,  where  we  spent  the  eve- 
ning together,  the  guest  of  the  noble  and  the  generous  Jesse  Harrison. 
It  was  during  that  evening  that  I  learned  for  the  first  time  from  the 
lips  of  Gillett,  of  the  rich,  rolling  prairies,  north  of  the  Turkey  river, 
and  stretching  away  to  the  northwest  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  the 
glowing  description  which  he  gave  of  its  wild  scenery  and  enchanting 
beauty  induced  me  soon  after  to  come  and  see  for  myself,  and,  with 
the  exception  of  two  or  three  years  of  this  long  period,  I  have  lived 
his  neighbor  ever  since.  When  I  first  struck  his  clearing,  I  found  him 
and  his  dog  the  sole  occupants  of  his  cabin,  and  with  a  cheerful  coun- 
tenance he  bade  me  a  hearty  welcome,  and,  pointing  to  an  extra  pile 
of  straw  in  the  corner  on  which  lay  an  old  blanket  and  two  or  three 
untanned  deer-skins,  he  said  I  could  camp  with  him  as  long  as  I  wished, 
free  of  charge.  With  the  exception  of  the  blooming  prairies  and  the 
enchanting  groves  here  and  there  interspersed  through  them,  every- 
thing about  that  cabin,  at  first,  looked  lonely,  cheerless  and  forbidding, 
but  I  soon  found  that  I  was  mistaken,  and  that,  instead  of  being  lonely 
and  cheerless,  it  was  the  home  of  the  traveler,  the  hunter  and  the  ex- 
plorer, and  that,  as  soon  as  the  shadows  began  to  lengthen  and  night 
was  approaching,  it  was  always  filled  with  both  tired  and  merry  fel- 
lows, who  were  welcome  to  its  hospitality,  and  who  went  their  several 
ways  in  the  morning,  free  of  any  charge.  His  untiring  industry  and 
energy  always  supplied  that  cabin  with  an  abundance  of  everything 
that  was  good  to  eat,  and  even  in  that  early  time  I  have  often  seen  in 
it  at  a  time,  a  whole  sack  of  coffee,  a  barrel  of  wild  honey,  several 
hundred  pounds  of  maple  sugar,  great  quantities  of  dried  venison, 
dressed  wild  turkeys,  with  flour,  meal  and  potatoes  sufficient  to  winter 
a  regiment  of  men,  instead  of  one  lone  little  man  and  a  dog.  He 
seemed  to  live  and  work  for  no  other  purpose  but  to  entertain  his 


DEVELOPMENT    PERIOD 187O-1880  225 

friends,  and  that  cabin  was  known  for  hundreds  of  miles  around  it, 
and  squatters  living  in  the  south  part  of  the  territory,  although  many 
miles  distant,  he  called  his  neighbors. 

He  was  born  and  raised  in  Accomack  county,  Virginia,  and  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  and,  while  quite  a  young  man,  he  came  to  Jack- 
sonville, Illinois,  and  here  he  worked  for  a  few  months  at  his  trade, 
and  then  made  his  way  into  Missouri.  The  Blackhawk  war  had  spread 
the  news  far  and  wide  of  a  beautiful  land  lying  west  of  the  great  river, 
and  he  made  up  his  mind  that  he  would  be  among  the  first  to  explore 
its  wilds.  He  left  Missouri,  and  in  the  spring  of  1835  his  eyes  for  the 
first  time  rested  upon  the  high  and  rolling  prairies  of  Clayton  county. 
He  selected  one  of  the  most  beautiful  spots  in  the  county,  and,  pro- 
curing a  yoke  of  oxen  and  a  breaking  plow  in  Dubuque,  he  turned  the 
first  furrow  that  was  turned  in  the  county.  The  Indians  were  hostile 
when  Gillett  made  his  claim  and  it  required  such  nerve  and  courage  as 
heroes  are  made  of  to  build  a  cabin  at  that  time  on  the  extreme  border, 
and  within  sight  of  the  Indian  camp-fires.  At  the  time  of  his  settle- 
ment, Prairie  du  Chien  was  something  of  a  village,  and  Fort  Crawford 
was  garrisoned  with  troops,  while  Fort  Atkinson  was  in  process  of 
completion,  and  all  these  furnished  a  good  market  for  corn,  oats  and 
hay,  and  as  soon  as  Mr.  Gillett  had  raised  a  crop  of  oats  and  corn,  he 
found  a  ready  sale  for  them  at  a  high  price,  and  this  very  soon  enabled 
him  to  live  in  ease  and  comfort  and  to  keep  up  a  rich  table. 

Alexander  Bleidimg — Just  a  week  later  occurred  the  death  of 
Hon.  Alexander  Bleidung,  who  died  in  his  home  in  Guttenberg,  Janu- 
ary 25,  1879.  He  was  a  native  of  Germany  and  came  to  Guttenberg 
in  1850.  He  was  First  Lieutenant  of  Company  D  Twenty-seventh 
Iowa  Infantry.  He  was  elected  to  the  legislature  as  a  republican  in 
1877,  and  made  a  valuable  member.  His  death  came  suddenly  and 
he  was  in  the  prime  of  life. 

Maturin  L.  Fisher — The  death  roll  of  1879  was  not  complete, 
however,  and  in  December  the  grim  reaper  claimed  one  of  the  most 
able  men  Clayton  county  has  produced  in  the  person  of  Maturin  L. 
Fisher.  He  was  born  in  Danville,  Vt.  His  father,  Lewis  Fisher,  was 
a  Baptist  minister.  M.  L.  was  the  oldest  of  a  large  family  of  children. 
His  youth  was  spent  upon  one  of  those  rocky  farms  so  numerous  in 
that  state.  He  must  have  been  a  studious  boy,  for  he  fitted  himself 
for  college  in  a  single  year,  and  in  1824  entered  Brown  University, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1828  with  high  honors.  After  graduat- 
ing from  college  he  entered  upon  the  study  of  law  with  Hon.  Isaac 
Davis,  of  Worcester,  Mass.,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  183 1. 
In  1834  he  was  the  Democratic  candidate  for  Congress  in  the  Worces- 
ter district,  but  was  defeated,  though  the  canvass  was  a  closely  con- 
tested one.  In  1835  he  was  appointed  librarian  of  the  American  Anti- 
quarian Society,  which  office  he  filled  until  1839,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed postmaster  of  Worcester.  He  continued  in  the  office  during 
the  administration  of  Presidents  Harrison,  Tyler  and  Polk,  and  was 
removed  on  the  coming  in  of  the  administration  of  President  Taylor. 
In  1849,  Mr.  Fisher  came  to  Iowa  in  search  of  a  home,  going  first  to 
Davenport,  and  finally  fixing  upon  Clayton  county,  purchasing  a  farm 
in  Farmersburg  township.     Mr.  Fisher  was  married  in  1842  to  Miss 


226  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Caroline  Pratt,  of  Worcester,  Mass.  She  died  in  Farmersburg  town- 
ship, this  county,  in  1862.  At  the  general  election,  in  1852,  he  was 
elected  by  the  Democrats  to  the  State  Senate,  the  district  being  com- 
posed of  fifteen  counties,  having  three  Senators.  His  colleagues  were 
Warren  Lewis  and  John  Shields.  He  was  chosen  President  of  the 
Senate  on  the  sixteenth  ballot.  By  his  election  Clayton  county  had 
the  honor  of  seeing  both  the  presiding  officers  of  the  Senate  and  House 
from  her  Representatives,  Hon.  Reuben  Noble  being  elected  Speaker 
of  the  House.  In  1857,  Mr.  Fisher  accepted  the  nomination  for  State 
Superintendent  of  Public  Instruction,  though  not  expecting  an  election, 
as  the  state  had  just  been  carried  by  some  6,000  majority  by  the  oppo- 
sition; but  he  was  elected,  and  he  has  often  been  justly  called  "the 
Father  of  Iowa's  System  of  Public  Schools."  In  i860  he  was  elected 
Commissioner  of  the  Insane  Asylum  at  Mt.  Pleasant,  holding  the 
office  for  twelve  years.  In  1861  he  was  appointed,  by  a  Republican 
Legislature,  in  connection  with  the  State  Treasurer,  to  negotiate  a  war 
loan  of  $1,000,000  for  the  State  of  Iowa.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
nominated  for  Lieutenant-Governor  on  the  Democratic  ticket,  but  de- 
clined. The  following  year  he  received  the  nomination  for  Governor, 
but  again  declined,  and  General  Tuttle  was  placed  on  the  ticket.  In 
1866,  he  was  appointed  commissioner  to  build  the  hospital  for  the  insane 
at  Independence,  and  in  1870,  trustee  and  chairman  of  the  board.  In 
1872,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  to  build  the  new 
capitol  at  Des  Moines.  Mr.  Fisher  had  one  of  the  finest  libraries  in 
the  state,  and  was  one  of  the  best  read  men  on  every  topic  of  public 
interest.  His  character  was  unimpeachable,  and  every  duty  was  con- 
scientiously performed.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Farmersburg  town- 
ship, February  5,  1879. 

Willard  Knight — Again  in  April,  1879,  was  the  county  called  upon 
to  mourn  the  death  of  a  pioneer  and  again  was  Samuel  Murdock  the 
eulogist.  This  time  death's  victim  was  Willard  Knight.  He  was  born 
in  Franklin  County,  Mass.,  in  1814,  and  when  he  arrived  at  manhood 
he  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania,  where  he  engaged  in  the  lumber  busi- 
ness on  the  Alleghany  river. 

From  Pennsylvania  he  went  down  the  river  to  the  State  of  Mis- 
sissippi, and  located  at  Milliken's  Bend.  While  here  he  cut  the  timber 
and  assisted  in  clearing  the  farm  on  which  in  after  years  was  fought 
the  battle  of  Milliken's  Bend.  Not  liking  the  climate  he  started  north, 
and  arrived  in  Clayton  County  in  the  summer  of  1836.  Not  long  after 
his  arrival  he  located  his  claim,  where  he  lived  and  died,  and  here  alone 
he  built  his  first  cabin  in  the  edge  of  a  beautiful  grove.  In  this  cabin 
he  lived  alone  for  many  years,  with  a  rifle  and  dog  as  his  only  com- 
panions, and  year  after  year  adding  to  his  improvements,  until  he  had 
one  of  the  finest  farms  in  the  county.  For  several  years  after  he 
began  his  improvements  the  land  on  which  they  were  situated  was 
withheld  from  market  as  mineral  lands,  and  the  reservation  included 
all  the  lands  in  Clayton  County  east  of  range  three,  west.  One  morn- 
ing he  arose,  looked  over  his  claim,  and  found  that  a  part  of  it  had 
been  "jumped"  the  night  before  by  a  party  of  men  who  had  erected  a 
cabin  on  it,  and  were  determined  to  hold  it  until  they  could  enter  it 
at  the  land  office.     As  soon  as  he  saw  the  cabin  he  walked  over  and 


DEVELOPMENT    PERIOD 187O-1880  227 

warned  its  occupants  to  leave,  which  they  peremptorily  refused  to  do, 
when  he  returned  to  his  cabin,  took  down  his  rifle,  yoked  up  his  oxen, 
drove  over  to  the  claim  shanty,  took  a  turn  round  the  corner  with  the 
chain  and  started  his  oxen,  when  down  came  the  shanty  over  the  heads 
of  the  occupants,  who,  seeing  the  courage  and  determination  of  the 
man,  left  and  never  molested  him  again.  As  soon  as  he  felt  able  to 
do  so,  he  brought  his  aged  parents  and  several  brothers  and  sisters  to 
the  county,  and  provided  for  them  all.  He  was  present  at  every  meet- 
ing of  the  Old  Settlers'  Society,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  all  its 
proceedings.  During  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  seemed  to  think  it 
his  duty  and  mission  to  look  after  and  care  for  any  of  his  old  compan- 
ions of  pioneer  life  whom  he  found  in  distress. 

"Only  a  few  hours  before  his  death,"  writes  Judge  Murdock,  "he 
called  me  to  his  bedside,  named  an  old  pioneer  to  whom  he  had  fur- 
nished several  hundred  dollars  to  save  his  home,  and  said :  'When  I  am 
gone  some  of  my  relatives  may  distress  that  man ;  I  know  you  will  not, 
and  I  therefore  put  him  in  your  hands.  See  that  no  one  crowds  or 
hurts  him  for  my  money.'  For  several  days  before  he  died  he  began 
to  talk  about  every  old  settler  and  pioneer  that  he  had  known  in  his 
early  days,  and  during  his  last  moments,  and  when  he  knew  that  his 
hour  had  come,  he  imagined  they  were  all  in  the  room  with  him,  and 
his  last  words  were,  'Pioneers,  old  settlers,  Dick  Only,  and  all  of  you, 
good — .'  But  poor  Dick  Gillett  and  Dr.  Linton  had  gone  a  few  months 
before  him,  and  were  not  there  to  bid  him  'good-bye,'  yet  he  thought 
they  were  and  he  was  gratified."  He  never  married,  but  devoted  his 
whole  life  to  the  care  of  his  brothers  and  numerous  sisters,  all  of 
whom  loved  him  with  the  purest  devotion.  He  died  March  i6,  1879. 
He  was  one  of  the  pioneers  who  never  had  a  hankering  for  public 
office,  but  he  was  always  loyal  to  his  friends  and  ready  to  serve  them. 
He  was  one  of  the  best  beloved  of  the  pioneers. 

John  P.  Kriebs — He  was  a  Prussian  and  joined  the  Guttenberg 
Colony  in  1850,  and  soon  became  prominent  in  the  politics  of  the 
county,  being  one  of  the  leaders  of  democracy.  His  name  was  closely 
identified  with  all  the  civic  affairs  of  Guttenberg.  He  was  mayor  of 
that  city,  in  1853,  and  was  twice  elected  coroner  of  Clayton  county. 
He  died  in  Guttenberg,  August,  1873. 

Louis  Reuther,  a  native  of  Prussia,  who  came  to  Iowa  in  1853 
when  but  20  years  of  age,  to  join  the  Communia  Colony.  He  came 
to  Elkader  in  1855  ^"^  in  1867  he  joined  with  Henry  Meder  in  build- 
ing the  Mederville  mill.  The  greater  portion  of  his  life,  however,  was 
spent  as  a  merchant  in  Elkader.  He  was  an  ardent  republican  and 
was  elected  to  the  legislature  in  1871.  In  1876,  he  visited  the  father- 
land and  there  is  supposed  to  have  contracted  the  disease  which  ended 
his  life. 

/.  B.  Gates,  a  man  prominent  in  democratic  circles,  who  came  to 
Iowa  in  1850  and  resided  at  Pleasant  Ridge,  near  McGregor,  until 
1871.  The  manner  of  his  death  was  tragic,  as  he  fell  dead  at  the  com- 
pletion of  an  address  which  he  delivered  before  a  convention  of  the 
People's  party  at  Anita,  Iowa. 

Old  Settlers'  Reunions — It  is  no  wonder,  with  these  many  deaths, 
the  thoughts  of  the  pioneers  turned  to  the  old  days  and  that  they  longed 


228  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  meet  as  often  as  possible  and  to  form  some  association  by  which 
they  might  keep  green  the  memory  of  the  departed ;  preserve  the  his- 
tory and  traditions  of  the  county  and  keep  aUve  the  friendships  of 
many  years.  Ehphalet  Price,  then  the  oldest  living  pioneer  of  the 
county,  was  the  man  to  whose  lot  it  fell  to  inaugurate  the  movement 
for  an  old  settlers'  picnic.  In  a  characteristic  letter  to  the  press  Judge 
Price  issued  a  "proclamation"  which  was  filled  with  wit  and  pleasantry, 
as  well  as  with  a  vein  of  serious  regard.  He  ordered  the  pioneers  and 
old  settlers  to  convene  at  Elkader  on  February  15,  1872,  and  appointed 
a  committee  on  arrangement  as  follows:  Mrs.  Victor  Carter,  Mrs. 
Timothy  Davis,  Mrs.  Elisha  Boardman,  Michael  Uriell  and  Henry  B. 
Carter.  Those  having  resided  in  the  county  25  years  and  less  than 
30  years,  were  to  be  called  old  settlers,  and  those  residing  in  the  county 
more  than  30  years  were  to  be  known  as  pioneers.  A  feast  of  roasted 
coon  and  corn  bread  was  proclaimed  and  Horace  D.  Bronson  was  ap- 
pointed as  master  of  the  feast.  Robert  Thompkins  of  McGregor  was 
to  be  poet  laureate  and  Henry  Gifford,  Clayton's  pioneer  preacher,  was 
to  deliver  a  suitable  prayer  "of  the  old  fashion,  Turkey  river,  common 
sense  kind."  This  proclamation  was  dated  December  21,  1871.  This 
was  followed  by  a  proclamation  by  Horace  D.  Bronson  ordering  all 
the  faithful  to  bring  coons  for  the  feast.  These  proclamations  cre- 
ated much  interest  throughout  the  county  and  were  followed  by  many 
suggestions,  especially  the  one  that  summer  would  be  a  more  suitable 
time  for  the  reunion.  This  suggestion  was  followed  and  Judge  Price 
issued  a  second  proclamation,  in  January,  1872,  postponing  the  reunion 
to  June  II.  He  also  reorganized  the  committee,  making  it  consist  of 
Mrs.  Elisha  Boardman,  Mrs.  Lafayette  Bigelow,  Mrs.  M.  Cook, 
Michael  Uriell  and  R.  C.  Place.  This  committee  met  at  Elkader  and 
temporary  officers  were  appointed  as  follows:  President,  Hon.  John 
Garber ;  vice-presidents,  Boardman  township,  Elisha  Boardman ;  Buena 
Vista,  R.  Meuth ;  Clayton,  R.  Only ;  Cass,  James  Tracey ;  Cox  Creek, 
G.  L.  Gififord;  Elk,  M.  W.  Lovett;  Farmersburg,  J.  Francis;  Giard, 
James  Tapper ;  Grand  Meadow,  P.  G.  Baily ;  Garnavillo,  J.  W.  Gillett ; 
Highland,  J.  P.  Quigley;  Jefferson,  E.  Price;  Lodomillo,  F.  C.  Madi- 
son ;  Monona,  P.  P.  Olmstead ;  Marion,  J.  C.  Rounds ;  Millville,  J.  W. 
Gillmore;  Mallory,  S.  V.  Peck;  Mendon,  George  L.  Bass;  Reed,  M. 
Uriell ;  Sperry,  Elder  Whitford ;  Volga,  John  Garber ;  Wagner,  George 
Walter;  Orator,  Hon.  E.  Price;  Chaplain,  Rev.  H.  Gifford;  Poet 
Laureate,  R.  Thompkins ;  Marshal,  James  Davis. 

First  Reunion — The  place  selected  for  the  first  annual  reunion 
was  the  beautiful  grove  on  the  east  side  of  the  Turkey  River,  north 
of  the  Counth  building.  Twenty  coons,  an  ox,  and  deer  were  secured 
and  roasted  for  the  occasion.  The  following  account  of  the  affair  is 
from  the  Clayton  County  Journal:  "The  nth  day  of  June  will  long 
be  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  important  and  eventful  days  in  the 
history  of  Clayton  County.  It  was  the  occasion  of  the  convening  of 
the  pioneers  and  old  settlers  and  their  friends  of  Clayton  County,  and 
they  came  not  by  hundreds  but  by  thousands.  From  every  nook  and 
corner  of  the  county  delegates  came  pouring  in,  and  even  from  the 
adjoining  counties  of  Fayette,  Delaware  and  Allamakee  hundreds  of 
visitors  had  come.     Between  the  hours  of  nine  and  ten  in  the  morning 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD 187O-1880  229 

all  the  several  roads  leading  into  town  were  lined  with  teams  coming 
hither  to  participate  in  the  festivities.  Fully  6,000  people  were  here 
by  twelve  o'clock,  and  more  came  in  the  latter  part  of  the  day.  There 
were  four  bands  of  music  here — three  comet  and  one  martial  band. 
The  first  to  arrive  was  Oc.  Cole's  Fayette  Silver  Cornet  Band,  which 
came  Monday  evening  and  favored  our  citizens  with  some  of  their 
soul-stirring  pieces.  The  band  was  not  complete,  but,  nevertheless, 
under  the  leadership  of  Oc.  Cole,  of  the  Fayette  Times,  it  made  excel- 
lent music.  The  next  to  arrive  was  the  Strawberry  Point  Brass  Band, 
which  is  composed  of  some  of  the  prominent  citizens  of  that  place,  and, 
considering  the  brief  time  of  its  organization,  plays  some  very  difficult 
pieces  admirably  indeed.  The  next  was  the  McGregor  Cornet  Band, 
which  is  the  oldest  band  in  the  county,  and  of  course  furnished  excel- 
lent music.  Then  came  the  martial  band  of  Highland,  which  is  always 
welcome  here,  and  never  fails  to  stir  up  the  patriotic  feelings  of  our 
people,  and  which  played  especially  well  upon  this  occasion.  At  11 
o'clock  the  procession  was  formed  on  Front  street  by  the  marshal, 
James  Davis,  and  his  assistants,  H.  H.  Barnard  and  A.  W.  Daugherty, 
and  while  not  one  fiftieth  joined  in  the  procession,  it  was  much  the 
largest  ever  seen  here.  On  arriving  at  the  Grove,  Hon.  Michael 
Uriell,  chairman  of  the  committee  of  entertainment,  introduced  Hon. 
Samuel  Murdock  as  president  of  the  day,  who  made  some  very  happy 
and  appropriate  remarks.  Then  came  music  by  the  bands,  when  the 
president  introduced  Rev.  Henry  Gifford,  who,  in  a  very  lengthy,  but 
powerful  and  eloquent  prayer,  besought  the  blessings  of  Heaven  upon 
those  assembled.  After  more  music,  Hon.  Eliphalet  Price  was  intro- 
duced as  the  oldest  living  pioneer  in  the  county  and  the  orator  of  the 
day.  Much  was  expected  of  the  Judge,  but  more  was  realized;  his 
oration  was  one  of  the  finest  literary  treats  the  people  of  Clayton 
County  have  ever  been  favored  with,  and  while  the  Judge  has  not  been 
well  of  late,  yet  he  delivered  it  in  a  clear  and  distinct  voice.  At  the 
conclusion  of  his  address  and  before  taking  his  seat  he  called  upon 
Miss  Marion  Murdock  for  the  recitation  of  A  Hoosier's  Vest,  which 
was  responded  to  by  Miss  Murdock  in  her  happiest  manner.  After 
music  by  the  Strawberry  Point  Band,  the  old  settlers  organized  a  per- 
manent society,  with  Eliphalet  Price  as  President;  M,  Uriell,  Vice- 
President  ;  H.  B.  Carter,  Treasurer ;  Joseph  Eiboeck,  Secretary.  Then 
came  the  coon  feast.  The  tables  were  laden  with  the  abundance  of 
good  things,  and  the  old  settlers  partook  of  them  with  a  hearty  relish. 
General  sociability  followed.  Hand-shaking  and  congratulations  were 
numerous,  and  a  few  hours  were  thus  highly  enjoyed  by  all. 

"We  have  no  means  of  telling  just  how  many  pioneers  and  old 
settlers  were  present,  but  think  that  out  of  the  6,000  people  assem- 
bled at  least  1,000  were  pioneers  and  old  settlers,  including,  of  course, 
their  children  and  grandchildren.  The  only  pioneers,  those  living  in 
the  county  thirty  years  and  upward,  who  were  born  here,  were  Will- 
iam Walker,  William  Griffith,  William  Quigley,  R.  E.  Price,  Louis 
Cooley  and  Charles  Howard.  Of  sons  of  old  settlers  there  were  sev- 
eral hundred.  There  was  one  remarkable  feature  about  the  celebra- 
tion which  is  worthy  of  special  comment,  and  that  is  the  general  good 
order,  sobriety  and  good  feeling  that  prevailed.     Not  one  unkind  word 


230  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

was  heard  on  the  streets  among  all  that  vast  crowd,  and  not  one  person 
was  seen  that  showed  the  least  intoxication.  There  had  been  thirteen 
policemen  sworn  in,  but  there  was  no  use  for  them,  thanks  to  the 
amiability  of  the  old  settlers  and  all  others  who  were  present.  The 
fact  was,  everybody  seemed  to  have  too  much  to  say  to  one  another  to 
cause  them  to  drink.  Men  met  here  who  had  not  seen  each  other  for 
fifteen  or  twenty  years,  and  the  few  hours  left  them  for  sociability 
they  improved  rapidly.  As  has  been  shown,  the  festival  was  an  entire 
success,  and  we  would  do  injustice  if  we  did  not  give  credit  to  those 
who  worked  hard  for  a  week  in  making  the  necessary  arrangements. 
To  R.  C.  Place,  L.  A.  Mahoney,  G.  W.  Cook  and  T.  G.  Price  belong 
the  thanks." 

At  a  meeting  of  the  old  settlers  in  Elkader,  May  21,  1873,  Hon. 
M.  L.  Fisher  was  chosen  Chairman,  and  F.  D.  Bayless,  Secretary. 
Judge  Williams,  Judge  Rogers  and  J.  W.  Shannon  were  appointed  a 
committee  to  draft  a  constitution  for  the  government  of  the  society. 

At  the  close  of  the  reunion,  Samuel  Murdock  was  elected  presi- 
dent for  the  ensuing  year,  John  Everall,  secretary,  and  A.  C.  Rogers 
treasurer.  Rev.  Henry  Gilford  and  Rev.  Elisha  Warner  were  selected 
as  chaplains.  Hon.  Reuben  Noble  was  invited  to  deliver  the  address, 
and  the  next  meeting  was  set  for  McGregor  on  July  4,  1873.  The 
pioneers  of  Crawford  county,  Wisconsin,  were  invited  to  attend. 

The  Second  Reunion — McGregor  made  great  preparations  for 
the  second  reunion.  Cambrian  Hall  was  engaged,  the  railroad  gave 
reduced  rates  and  the  ferryboat  "City  of  McGregor"  met  the  trains 
at  North  McGregor.  Gregor  McGregor  was  chairman  of  the  local 
committee  and  a  dance  invitation  was  issued  using  the  picture  of  a 
coon,  which  became  the  insignia  of  the  pioneers. 

Cambrian  Hall  was  well  filled  when  President  Murdock  called 
the  meeting  to  order.  Rev.  Elisha  Warner  was  an  honored  guest  and 
he  told  some  of  the  stories  of  olden  times.  Among  his  anecdotes  was 
one  that,  when  a  pony  was  lost  or  stolen,  it  was  sure  to  be  found  in 
"Pony  Hollow."  Hon.  Reuben  Noble  made  a  brief  address,  stating 
among  other  things  that  "While  many  of  the  old  settlers  of  Clayton 
county  are  dead,  yet  such  was  the  vigor  of  constitution  of  the  early 
settlers  of  the  county,  that  of  the  75  to  100  settlers  of  30  years'  stand- 
ing more  than  one  half  survive." 

Rev.  William  Fawcett  delivered  an  able  address  and  he  was  fol- 
lowed by  Orlando  McCraney,  as  the  oldest  resident  of  Iowa  present. 
The  officers  of  the  association  were  re-elected  unanimously  and  El- 
kader was  selected  as  the  next  place  of  meeting. 

Later  Gatherings — With  this  auspicious  start  the  meetings  of  the 
association  continued  from  year  to  year  without  interruption.  They 
grew  to  be  the  great  annual  event  of  county,  were  attended  by  large 
crowds  and  shared  in  public  popularity  with  the  county  fair  and  the 
Fourth  of  July.  For  the  pioneers  they  meant  more  than  any  other 
day  of  all  the  year.  The  reunion  of  1874  was  held  at  Garnavillo  and 
two  brass  bands  headed  the  procession.  President  Samuel  Murdock 
presided,  and,  as  Hon.  Reuben  Noble,  orator  of  the  day,  was  unable 
to  be  present,  Mr.  Murdock  delivered  the  address.  The  officers  were 
re-elected  with  the  exception  of  chaplain,  to  which  office  Rev.  N.  W. 


DEVELOPMENT    PERIOD 187O-1880  23I 

Bixby  was  chosen.     The  day  ended  with  an  old  time  dance  led  by 
Messrs.  Bronson,  Cooley,  Paddleford  and  Jones. 

Guttenberg  was  the  scene  of  the  1875  reunion.  Samuel  Murdock 
retired  from  the  presidency  and  the  following  officers  were  elected: 
President,  S.  D.  Peck;  secretary,  John  Walter;  treasurer,  Michael 
Uriell.  Resolutions  were  passed  thanking  Judge  Murdock  for  his 
services  as  president  and  he  delivered  the  address  of  the  day.  The 
centennial  reunion  was  also  held  at  Guttenberg,  June  10,  1876.  There 
was  a  parade  and  an  extra  large  crowd.  S.  D.  Peck  presided  and 
Samuel  Murdock  was  again  the  orator.  Other  speakers  were  Judge 
David  Wilson,  of  Dubuque,  Orlando  McGraney  and  S.  H.  F.  Schulte. 
The  officers  elected  were :  President,  William  Sullivan ;  secretary, 
Alvah  Rogers ;  treasurer,  John  Walter. 

Not  less  than  2,000  people,  from  all  parts  of  the  county,  attended 
the  sixth  reunion,  which  was  held  at  Elkader,  August  23,  1877.  Capt. 
W.  A.  Benton,  assisted  by  H.  H.  Barnard,  was  marshal  of  the  day. 
Judge  Murdock  delivered  the  address  and  Henry  Gifford  acted  as 
chaplain.  A  feature  of  the  day  was  the  talk  by  E.  Dickens,  one  of 
the  first  pioneers,  who  told  many  amusing  incidents  of  the  early  days. 
Frederick  Hartge  was  elected  president  and  Alvah  Rogers  secretary. 

Elkport  was  fairly  swamped  with  visitors  at  the  seventh  reunion, 
held  June  11,  1878.  The  citizens  of  the  south  part  of  the  county, 
especially,  turning  out  in  large  numbers.  A  feast  had  been  prepared 
for  the  honored  guests,  and  the  usual  parade.  Judge  Murdock,  who 
had  come  to  be  regarded  as  the  accepted  orator  for  these  occasions, 
was  the  speaker.  The  officers  chosen  were  Michael  Uriell,  president, 
and  A.  C.  Rogers,  secretary.  Nearly  200  pioneers  were  registered  at 
this  meeting.  June  11,  1879,  the  reunion  was  held  at  Guttenberg. 
J.  H.  Stahl,  as  marshal,  led  the  parade  in  which  the  pioneers  marched 
first,  then  the  old  settlers  and  then  the  citizens  generally.  For  the 
first  time  Samuel  Murdock  was  unable  to  be  present  and  J.  O.  Crosby 
was  the  orator  of  the  day.  Michael  Uriell  made  a  brief  talk  and 
other  speakers  were  J.  H.  Bowman  of  Colesburg  and  E.  P.  Moore, 
one  of  the  founders  of  Monona.  P.  P.  Olmstead  was  elected  presi- 
dent ;  James  Uriell,  vice-president,  and  George  H.  Otis,  secretary. 
Although  it  had  been  voted  to  hold  the  reunion  at  McGregor,  the 
gathering  for  1880  was  held  at  Garnavillo  and  the  people  of  this  his- 
toric town  gave  the  pioneers  a  cordial  welcome.  The  streets  were 
gaily  decorated  with  evergreens  and  banners.  The  honored  guest  was 
Judge  Thomas  S.  Wilson,  the  pioneer  judge  of  the  county,  who  came 
from  Dubuque  to  meet  with  his  old  friends  in  Clayton  county.  There 
was  an  exceptionally  fine  parade  and  P.  P.  Olmstead  presided,  Rev. 
William  Cummings  acted  as  chaplain,  and  the  oration  of  the  day  was 
delivered  by  Judge  Wilson.  Another  feature  was  an  address  in 
German  by  Dr.  William  Hoffbauer  of  Guttenberg.  Frank  Schoulte 
of  National  also  spoke.  The  officers  were  re-elected,  except  that  S.  H. 
Shoulte  was  made  secretary  and  S.  D.  Peck  treasurer.  While  stress 
of  weather  had  compelled  a  change  of  date  on  some  years,  June  11 
had  come  to  be  accepted  as  Pioneer  Day,  and  by  1880  the  association 
had  grown  to  be  one  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  the  life  of  the 
county. 


232  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

McGregor — While  the  "Golden  Era"  of  McGregor  is  said  to  have 
ended  in  1866,  it  was  still  a  very  lively  place,  easily  maintaining  its 
position  as  the  largest  and  most  important  business  point  in  the  county. 
The  figures  of  stock  shipment  and  the  amount  of  grain  handled  are 
staggering,  and  the  two  towns,  which  were  rapidly  becoming  as  one, 
easily  led  all  northeastern  Iowa.  As  a  river  and  railroad  center  it 
had  a  distinctive  population  and  was  more  metropolitan  than  the 
remainder  of  the  county,  as  it  came  much  more  in  touch  with  the 
outside  world.  There  were  many  men  who  enjoyed  considerable 
income  and  who  did  large  business  and  the  life  of  this  city  differed 
from  that  of  any  other  part  of  the  county.  For  instance,  McGregor 
became  noted  as  the  home  of  fine  horses.  There  was  a  driving  asso- 
ciation and  horses  owned  and  bred  at  McGregor  were  noted  throughout 
the  country.  The  fact  that  it  was  the  railroad  terminus  and  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Diamond  Jo  enterprises  was,  alone,  sufficient  to  make 
it  a  place  of  importance.  The  Flemming  mill  at  North  McGregor  was 
a  large  enterprise  which  in  1870  was  enlarged,  making  it  one  of  the 
most  extensive  mills  on  the  river.  This  mill  had  four  boilers,  three 
engines,  thirty-two  saws  and  employed  fifty  men,  turning  out  40,000 
feet  of  lumber  daily,  beside  much  dimension  lumber.  In  April,  1870, 
the  Mississippi  was  the  highest  that  it  had  been  since  1828,  exceeding 
the  floods  of  1858  and  1866,  North  McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien 
were  under  water.  Passenger  trains  stopped  two  miles  east  of  Prairie 
du  Chien  and  ferry  boats  went  up  Bloody  Run  to  the  railroad  round 
house. 

The  city  was  much  interested  in  the  proposed  ship  canal  to  connect 
the  lakes  and  the  Mississippi  by  way  of  the  Fox  and  Wisconsin  rivers. 
Meetings  were  held  and  committees  were  sent  and,  for  a  time,  it  looked 
as  if  there  might  be  considerable  traffic  developed  from  Wisconsin 
points.  In  June,  1870,  the  steamer  "Lawson"  arrived  at  McGregor  with 
a  cargo  from  Appleton,  Wis.,  and  the  "Energy"  docked  at  Clayton  with 
a  cargo  from  Oshkosh. 

The  fire  fiend  seemed  to  have  a  special  spite  against  McGregor. 
In  June,  1870,  there  was  a  $30,000  fire  which  led  to  the  establishment  of 
the  first  hook  and  ladder  company.  A  year  later  the  great  Flemming 
saw  mill  at  North  McGregor  was  consumed  with  a  loss  of  $125,000, 
and,  in  October,  of  the  same  year,  the  railroad  elevator  and  Kellogg's 
mill  were  burned  with  a  loss  of  $50,000.  In  this  fire  the  beautiful 
monument  to  Alexander  McGregor  was  destroyed.  It  had  not  been 
unloaded  from  the  car  and  the  great  heat  caused  it  to  burst  into 
fragments.  The  Flemming  mill  was  rebuilt  and,  in  October,  1871, 
Stauer  and  Daubenberger  began  the  erection  of  a  saw  mill  at  McGregor. 
The  development  of  the  town  and  the  fact  that  it  was  fast  outgrowing 
pioneer  days  is  evidenced  by  the  fact  that  in  1873  the  old  No.  i  ware- 
house, erected  in  1851,  was  torn  down  to  make  way  for  a  more  modern 
building.  The  Larrabee  interests  had  for  some  time  been  engaged 
in  the  banking  business  at  McGregor,  and  in  1873,  Frank  Larrabee 
moved  to  McGregor,  beginning  a  long  career  of  influence  and  im- 
portance to  the  community.  During  these  days  McGregor  had  the 
distinguished  honor  of  furnishing  the  governor  of  Iowa  and  it  was 
in  recognition  of  this  fact  that  the  palatial  steamboat,  255  feet  long,  of 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD 187O-1880  233 

the  Diamond  Jo  line  was  christened  the  "Samuel  Merrill."  By  1873, 
the  Flemming  Bros,  mill  was  again  in  operation  and  it  is  recorded 
that  Artemus  Lamb,  of  Clinton,  brought  down  the  river,  for  the  Flem- 
ming Bros.,  the  largest  raft  then  known  upon  the  Mississippi  waters. 
This  raft  contained  twenty  strings  and  covered  about  five  acres.  It 
was  335  feet  wide,  510  feet  long  and  contained  1,300,000  feet  of 
lumber.  No  oars  were  used  and  it  was  controlled  by  the  steamboat  with 
a  crew  of  eight  men. 

In  1874,  the  total  trade  of  McGregor  amounted  to  $15,631,988.10. 
This  large  business  was  divided  as  follows:  Wheat  and  produce, 
$3,905,284.63;  banking  and  exchange,  $8,218,314.44;  wholesale,  $1,- 
471,000;  retail,  $2,864,630.92;  manufacturing  and  lumber,  $706,642.89. 
No  other  towns  in  this  region,  except  Dubuque  and  St.  Paul,  could 
boast  larger  clearings.  An  enterprise  which  should  be  mentioned  was 
the  carriage  works  of  G.  Hawley  &  Co.  This  factory  was  noted 
throughout  the  United  States  for  its  fine  work  and  orders  for  expensive 
vehicles,  where  the  best  workmanship  was  required,  came  from  all 
over  the  country.  In  1875,  the  city  was  again  visited  with  a  disastrous 
fire,  at  which  time  appeals  were  sent  to  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Dubuque 
for  aid. 

Ringling  Bros.  First  Show — In  the  early  70s  there  lived  in 
McGregor,  a  family  of  six  brothers,  named  Ringling.  The  father 
ran  a  harness  and  saddle  shop.  He  was  an  expert  workman,  noted 
particularly  for  his  fine  saddles.  One  of  his  masterpieces  was  a  beauti- 
ful and  expensive  saddle  ordered  from  him  by  John  Buell,  of  New 
York.  There  were  many  circuses  in  those  days,  all  of  them  traveling 
overland  and  few  of  them  carrying  a  menagerie.  Barnum  was  abroad 
in  the  land  and  was  giving  the  people  their  first  lesson  in  that  great 
American  institution,  the  circus.  The  Ringling  boys  undoubtedly 
attended  the  overland  circuses  and  the  boat  shows  which  came  to 
McGregor  and,  in  some  way,  Al,  as  the  ringleader  of  the  boys  got  it 
into  his  head  that  he  would  like  to  have  a  show  of  his  own.  Many 
are  still  living  in  McGregor  who  remember  the  first  performance  of 
Ringling  Bros,  circus.  One  of  these  has  contributed  the  following 
account  of  the  beginning  of  the  career  of  these  kings  of  the  big  top, 
who  are  now  said  to  own  and  control  all  the  great  circuses  of  America. 
Their  cousins,  the  Gollmar  Brothers,  entered  the  business  later,  being 
attracted  by  the  success  attained  by  the  Ringlings.  The  following  is 
the  account  of  the  first  Ringling  Bros,  show :  "About  forty  years  ago 
there  resided  in  this  same  town,  McGregor,  Iowa,  a  firm  in  the 
harness  business  known  as  the  Ringling  Bros.  The  firm  was  composed 
of  quiet  young  fellows  of  apparently  mediocre  business  ability,  and  the 
last  fellows  on  earth  one  would  suspect  of  being  afflicted,  not  with  the 
hook  worm,  but  with  the  show  worm.  But  they  were,  nevertheless, 
and  what  gets  into  the  heart  of  a  fellow  is  sure  to  crop  out.  That  is 
the  reason  why  they  gave  their  first  show  and  that  it  happened  in 
McGregor,  was  because  they  were  then  here.  On  a  vacant  lot  in  the 
rear  of  S.  J.  Peterson's  drug  store,  they  pitched  their  first  tent.  It 
was  fully  thirty-five  feet  in  diameter,  and  well  filled.  There  were  three 
star  performers — just  three  and  no  more.  Two  were  on  the  parallel 
bars,  but  Al  Ringling  was  the  star.     He  balanced  a  big  plow  on  his 


\ 


234  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

chin,  which  he  borrowed  from  Lon  Boyle  for  that  special  occasion. 
The  exhibition  was  limited  to  one  performance,  and  this  in  the  evening. 
The  orchestra  was  made  up  of  one  fiddle.  George  Williams  was  the 
one  member  of  the  band  and  he  knew  one  tune.  This  he  played  over 
and  over  and  when  he  had  finished  the  audience  invariably  demanded 
the  second  verse,  but  there  was  no  second — it  was  all  first.  George  was 
the  local  plasterer  as  well  as  the  violinist.  There  are  men  in  town 
who  can  yet  whistle  that  same  tune. 

"The  show  went  from  here  to  Prairie  du  Chien.  Three  flat  boats 
carried  the  complete  aggregation — boats  about  the  size  of  those  now 
used  for  clamming,  and  they  rowed  across  the  river.  Who  would 
ever  imagine  that  this  was  the  beginning  of  the  world's  greatest  shows? 
The  harness  shop  owned  by  the  Ringlings  stood  where  the  photograph 
gallery  is  now  located.  The  tent  was  held  in  place  by  ropes  contributed 
from  clothes  lines  from  the  neighbors'  backyards.  The  writer  knows 
whereof  he  speaks  for  he  got  in  the  show  on  a  pass  for  contributing 
these  same  clothes  lines  to  the  good  of  the  cause." 

A  letter  from  Charles  Ringling  dated  July  11,  1916,  questions 
some  of  the  statements  above,  although  it  is  not  disputed  that  the  first 
performance,  from  which  the  Ringling  circus  grew,  was  given  at 
McGregor.  Mr.  Ringling's  letter  is  as  follows :  "The  mention  of  the 
harness  shop  of  Al  Ringling  at  McGregor ;  this  is  an  error.  Al  Ringling 
was  never  in  the  harness  business  at  McGregor.  August  Ringling, 
St.,  father  of  the  Ringling  Brothers  ran  a  harness  shop  at  McGregor 
from  i860  to  1872.  At  intervals  during  this  period  several  of  the 
older  boys  worked  in  the  shop,  but  only  one  of  the  seven  brothers 
actually  took  an  interest  in  the  harness  business.  This  was  A.  G. 
Ringling  who  followed  this  trade  in  McGregor  for  a  time  and  also  in 
Elkader  and  in  Garnavillo,  joining  his  brothers  only  after  the  circus 
had  been  established  for  a  number  of  years.  There  were  seven 
brothers  in  the  family,  (in  order  as  to  age)  Albert,  August  (A.  G.), 
Otto,  Alfred,  Charles,  John  and  Henry.  The  first  three  have  passed 
to  the  great  beyond.  The  remaining  four  brothers,  now  the  firm  of 
Ringling  Bros.,  were  born  in  McGregor.  While  it  is  true  that  the 
brothers  gave  a  number  of  amateur  circus  performances  at  McGregor, 
under  tents  made  by  themselves,  and  that  they  actually  planned,  while 
mere  boys  at  McGregor,  to  own  and  operate  a  circus,  they  did  not 
actually  start  their  first  professional  show  from  this  point.  Though 
the  first  circus  run  by  the  brothers  was  small  it  represented  some 
investment  and  the  necessary  funds  had  to  be  earned  in  some  way. 
For  several  years  the  brothers  gave  exhibitions  in  halls  and  small-town 
theaters  and  from  the  savings  of  this  business  they  were  able  in  the 
spring  of  1884  to  start  their  first  real  circus.  The  first  performances 
were  given  at  Baraboo,  Wis.,  and  it  was  not  until  several  weeks  later 
that  they  appeared  at  McGregor." — Charles  E.  Ringling. 

McGregor  Events — Among  the  other  activities  may  be  noted  the 
formation  of  a  citizens  association  in  December,  1874,  with  Thomas 
Arnold  as  president  and  A.  Chapin  secretary ;  the  enlistment  of  an 
artillery  company  under  Captain  Rowland  and,  in  1876,  the  successful 
sinking  of  an  artesian  well.  The  artesian  well  company  was  incor- 
porated with  $3,000  capital,  J.  P.  Patrick,  president;  E.  R.  Barron, 
r 


DEVELOPMENT   PERIOD 187O-1880  235 

secretary.  At  300  feet  a  flow  of  water  was  struck  and,  in  December, 
1876,  a  flow  of  fifteen  barrels  per  minute  was  secured.  This  delighted 
the  people,  the  ladies  of  the  town  gave  an  entertainment  to  secure  funds 
to  beautify  the  grounds  and,  later,  the  company  with  J.  F.  Bassett  as 
president,  increased  its  capital  to  $20,000  and  planned  to  beautify  the 
grounds  and  to  lay  extensive  water  mains.  April  8,  1876,  McGregor 
was  visited  by  a  disastrous  storm.  This  is  described  by  the  Times  as 
being  a  "deluge,"  exceeding  in  violence  the  storms  of  i860  and  1868. 
The  property  damaged  was  estimated  to  exceed  $21,500,  the  chief  loss 
falling  from  the  city  sewerage  system  and  upon  Peterson  &  Ramage. 
Great  boulders  were  hurled  through  the  street  by  the  force  of  the  water 
and  the  parks  presented  a  sorry  sight,  the  grass  being  covered  with 
several  inches  of  mud.  The  loss  to  Peterson  &  Ramage  was  caused 
by  their  cellar,  which  was  filled  with  wholesale  drugs  and  groceries, 
being  flooded.  In  1876,  McGregor  lost  one  of  its  pioneer  business  men 
in  the  person  of  A.  T.  Jones.  He  was  a  Kentuckian  by  birth,  went 
to  the  Galena  lead  mines  in  1837,  and  landed  at  McGregor  in  1849.  At 
that  time  there  were  but  three  families  in  the  place,  those  of  Alexander 
McGregor,  Andrew  Teets,  and  Lafayette  Bigelow.  He  established 
the  firm  of  Jones  &  Bass,  which,  in  1856,  was  sold  to  Merrill  &  Barron. 
Mr.  Jones  remained  in  business  in  the  city  and  throughout  his  life 
was  one  of  McGregor's  most  prominent  and  helpful  citizens. 

During  the  boom  days,  when  the  city  had  visions  of  becoming  a 
second  Chicago,  there  was  much  municipal  extravagance  and  the  city 
plunged  into  debt  beyond  the  constitutional  limit.  In  the  later  70's 
these  chickens  came  home  to  roost  and  became  a  serious  handicap 
to  the  town,  although  it  did  not  stop  public  improvements  for,  during 
this  time,  fine  churches  were  built  and  a  handsome  new  school  house 
replaced  the  old  building.  The  question  of  indebtedness  got  into  the 
courts  and  in  December,  1879,  ^  decision  of  the  United  States  court 
was  made  of  which  the  Times  says:  "Our  city  has  a  debt  of  $60,000, 
of  which  bonded  obligation,  $20,000  is  illegal,  and  the  bulk  of  the  whole 
is  in  the  hands  of  eastern  capitalists.  The  debt  was  contracted  when 
McGregor  was  on  the  top  wave  of  a  flourishing  condition.  By  mis- 
management and  shrinkage  of  values,  our  city  got  into  a  condition  of 
helplessness,  because  our  state  laws  do  not  allow  a  sufficient  levy  of 
taxes  to  pay  principal  or  interest.  The  first  step  toward  escape  from 
this  predicament  is  this  decision  of  the  United  States  court.  The 
next  step  will  be  an  enabling  act  by  the  coming  state  legislature  by 
which  taxes  can  be  levied  to  pay  the  interest  and  establish  a  sinking 
fund  sufficient  to  liquidate  our  municipal  debt.  All  this  McGregor  is 
willing  to  do  and  has  been,  as  soon  as  the  state  law  permits.  This 
city  has  always  been  willing  to  pay  her  legal  debts  justly,  and  so  strong 
is  this  disposition  that  members  of  the  council  have  proposed  to  use 
funds  that  they  had  no  right  to,  to  pay  the  city  debt."  While  disap- 
pointing to  the  hopes  of  those  who  expected  McGregor  to  become  a 
great  metropolis,  this  period  was  one  of  which  any  Iowa  city  might 
have  been  proud. 

Elkader — If  Elkader  had  fewer  "ups"  it  also  had  fewer  "downs" 
than  had  McGregor.  In  1870,  there  was  rejoicing  when  the  bridge 
was  reopened  and  Elisha  Boardman  and  H,  D.  Bronson  drove  across 


236  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

in  state  while  the  people  cheered.  Business  was  good  and  the  little 
town  was  growing  constantly.  The  mill  had  established  a  reputation 
and  was  shipping  flour  direct  to  Europe.  In  1871,  it  is  reported,  "Elk- 
ader  has  improved  rapidly.  Several  residences  have  been  built  this 
spring  and  more  in  process.  V.  Boiler  is  building  a  fine  business  block 
of  stone  on  Front  street  nearly  opposite  the  mill.  When  finished,  it 
will  be  not  only  an  ornament  to  the  town,  but  one  of  the  best  business 
blocks  in  northern  Iowa.  The  First  National  Bank  of  Elkader  will 
soon  commence  a  stone  building  near  the  mill,  with  law  offices  on  the 
second  floor.  Two  churches  are  being  built,  one  by  the  Methodists  and 
one  by  the  Congregationalists."  Under  the  head  of  railroads,  it  has 
been  noted  that  Elkader  made  many  efforts  to  get  into  touch  with  the 
outside  world,  both  by  rail  and  wire,  and  finally  got  connection  through 
the  precarious  fine  of  the  narrow  gauge.  In  June,  1871,  high  water 
damaged  the  mill  to  the  extent  of  $3,000  and  put  it  out  of  commission 
for  some  time. 

In  June,  1873,  the  city  lost  one  of  its  strongest  citizens  in  the 
person  of  B.  T.  Hunt  whose  activities  have  been  frequently  mentioned 
in  this  history.  He  was  one  of  the  Republican  leaders  of  the  county 
and  was  one  of  that  party's  most  eloquent  orators.  He  was  one  of 
the  county's  staunchest  Union  men  and  he  did  much  to  arouse  that 
enthusiasm  which  placed  the  county  in  the  front  rank  for  volunteers. 
He  was  elected  state  senator  in  1863  and,  in  1868,  was  elected  circuit 
judge  without  opposition.  With  his  death  Elkader  and  Clayton  county 
lost  one  of  their  best  and  strongest  men. 

The  year  1876  was  memorable  in  Elkader  by  the  installation  of 
the  beautiful  chimes  at  the  Catholic  church.  This  was  done  through 
the  efforts  of  Father  Quigley  and  they  were  ready  to  ring  the  glad 
tidings  of  the  Christmas  time  to  the  people  of  Elkader.  These  bells, 
three  in  number,  were  cast  at  Cincinnati  by  the  Buckeye  Bell  Foundry, 
and  weighed  5,400  pounds,  the  weight  being  3,000  pounds,  1,500 
pounds  and  900  pounds.  The  cost  was  $1,800  and  appropriate  inscrip- 
tions were  cast  upon  the  bells,  together  with  the  names  of  the  seventy- 
two  donors.  Eighteen  hundred  and  seventy-seven  saw  the  advent  of 
the  first  street  sprinkler  in  Elkader  and,  in  1878,  the  Elkader  Register 
made  its  appearance,  as  a  Democratic  paper  in  opposition  to  the 
Journal.  The  Register  was,  from  the  first,  a  healthy  appearing  and 
newsy  paper.  It  was  established  by  George  H.  Otis  and  edited  by  him 
for  one  year  when  it  was  purchased  by  F.  D.  Bayless  and  run  by  the 
Register  company.  In  1878  occurred  what  is  still  known  as  "the 
brewery  fire."  The  building  was  completely  destroyed,  but  250  barrels 
of  beer  were  saved.  This  fire  was  followed  by  a  tragedy,  when,  during 
preparations  to  rebuild,  a  wall  caved  in,  killing  Severin  Hassler.  The 
enterprise  of  the  citizens  was  shown  by  the  fund  raised  for  the  court 
house  and  the  fact  that  there  was  a  surplus  which  was  devoted,  in  1878, 
to  the  installation  of  Elkader's  first  water  works.  Following  the  instal- 
lation of  the  water  works  a  fire  company  was  formed  which  had  an 
abbreviated  uniform  described  as  "consisting  of  a  belt,  cap  and  red 
woolen  shirt."  The  company  had  its  first  tryout  at  a  fire  at  Gilbert 
Bros,  photograph  gallery  in  January,  1879.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the 
creamery  project  was  started  by  C.  T.  Stearns  and  Edgar  Partch.  This 


DEVELOPMENT  PERIOD — 187O-1880  237 

commenced  business  August  i,  1879,  with  horse  power  and  a  star 
churn.  What  was  said  to  be  the  first  hearse  in  the  county  was  owned 
by  H.  C.  Grotewohl.  It  was  made  by  Schoch  and  Witt  of  Volga  and 
painted  by  F.  Dennert.  Illustrating  the  life  of  the  village  it  may  be 
stated  that  in  1879  there  was  a  great  craze  for  walking  matches. 
Everyone  tried  his  foot  at  it  and  Dell  Wade  was  the  champion,  walking 
50  miles  in  9  hours,  36  minutes  and  16  seconds. 

Ahd-El-Kader — In  November,  1879,  occurred  the  death  of  Abd- 
El-Kader,  the  Algerian  patriot  for  whom  Elkader  was  named.  The 
Register  gives  an  account  of  the  naming  of  the  town  and  a  biography 
of  Abd-El-Kader,  as,  follows:  "In  1844,  when  John  Thompson, 
Chester  Sage  and  Timothy  Davis,  the  founders  of  Elkader  were  laying 
out  the  town,  the  attention  of  the  whole  world  was  turned  toward 
Algeria,  where  Abd-El-Kader  was  fighting  for  his  country,  trying  to 
preserve  it  from  the  French.  When  the  town  had  been  platted,  and  a 
name  was  necessary  to  complete  the  work,  Timothy  Davis,  with  the 
exploits  of  Abd-El-Kader  fresh  in  his  mind,  proposed  the  name,  Elk- 
ader, which  was  adopted.  The  chief  from  whom  the  town  derived  its 
name,  died  last  week  in  Damascus,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  his 
age.  Abd-El-Kader,  Sheik-up-Islam,  descendant  of  the  prophet.  Emir 
of  Mascara,  Suhan  of  Algeria,  was  bom  in  Mascara,  in  1807,  and 
during  his  early  years  made  a  pilgrimage  to  Mecca,  and  studied  Arab 
philosophy  in  the  schools  of  Eg}^pt  and  Morocco.  In  1828,  having 
offended  the  Dey  of  Algeria,  he  was  obliged  to  flee  to  Egypt.  In  1831, 
during  the  first  war  between  Algeria  and  France,  he  again  appeared  in 
his  native  country  and  took  the  leadership  of  the  army  against  France, 
and  at  the  head  of  10,000  horsemen  attacked  Oran,  in  May,  1832.  His 
attempt  was  unsuccessful,  and  other  engagements  followed  without 
decisive  results.  After  several  changes  in  the  personnel  of  the  French 
officers.  General  Voivol  succeeded  to  the  command.  Finding  that  Abd- 
El-Kader's  influence  was  every  day  extending,  the  French  concluded 
to  make  peace  with  him,  and,  in  February,  1834,  a  treaty  was  con- 
cluded between  him  and  the  governor  of  Oran,  by  which  Abd-El-Kader 
recognized  the  suzerainty  of  France,  but  was  named  Emir  of  the 
province  of  Mascara,  with  many  important  commercial  rights  over  the 
whole  of  Oran. 

"In  July,  1835,  for  some  alleged  misdemeanor  the  French  again 
declared  war  against  him,  and  after  a  war  of  over  a  year,  in  which  he 
defeated  the  French  in  several  battles,  a  treaty  was  again  made  with 
him.  May  30,  1837.  In  1839,  Abd-El-Kader  declared  war  against 
France,  for  marching  an  armed  force  through  his  territory,  and  after  a 
terrible  war  of  over  seven  years,  in  which  he  was  stripped  of  the  last 
vestige  of  power  and  reduced  to  the  extremity  of  distress,  he  was 
finally  obliged  to  surrender.  It  was  during  this  war  that  his  name 
became  widely  known,  beaten  in  battle  after  battle,  his  troops  deserting 
him,  he  would  not  give  up  the  contest  until  all  was  gone.  After  his 
surrender  he  was  placed  in  the  castle  of  Ambroise,  near  Blois,  where 
he  remained  until  1852,  when  Louis  Napoleon  released  him,  and 
gave  him  an  annual  pension  of  100,000  francs.  Subsequently,  he 
removed  to  Damascus,  and  his  name  will  be  held  in  grateful  re- 
membrance by  the  Christians  of  that  city  for  his  courageous  efforts  for 


238  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

their  protection  from  the  fury  of  the  fanatical  Turks,  during  the 
massacre  of  i860,  when  the  Druses  fell  upon  the  Maronites.  For  this 
service  he  received  the  cross  of  the  Legion  of  Honor.  He  was  one  of 
the  lions  of  the  Paris  exposition  of  1855,  and  in  1863  visited  the  Suez 
canal,  receiving  a  present  of  a  piece  of  land  from  M.  DeLesseps.  In 
1865,  he  went  to  England  and,  in  1867,  attended  another  exposition  at 
Paris.  The  last  years  of  his  life  have  been  peaceful,  and  free  from 
the  volcanic  fire  of  patriotism  that  animated  him  to  do  for  his  country, 
what  Marco  Bozzaris  sought  to  do  for  suffering  Greece,  Kosciusko 
for  Poland  and  Schamyl  for  Caucasus." 


CHAPTER  XI 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD— 1880- 1900 

POLITICAL    HISTORY — PROHIBITION — FREE    SILVER    ISSUE — COUNTY    GOV- 
ERNMENT— ELKADER  BRIDGE — COUNTY  ASYLUM — STORMS  AND   FLOODS 

FLOOD    OF     1896 COUNTY    EVENTS SOLDIERS'    REUNIONS — COUNTY 

FAIRS — ELKADER    FAIR — INDUSTRIAL    PROGRESS — CRIMINAL    RECORD 

RECHFUS  MURDER — ELKINS  MURDER — JAIL  DELIVERIES — GROWTH  OF 
TOWNS — SPANISH  WAR — BUILDING  PROGRESS  IN  ELKADER — THE  LAST 
PIONEERS. 

THE  history  of  Clayton  county  between  the  years  of  1880  and 
1900  is,  in  miniature,  the  history  of  Iowa.  It  was  the  growth 
and  progress  of  these  years  which  stamped  Iowa  as  the  best 
and  richest  state  in  the  Union.  The  land  which,  less  than  fifty  years 
before,  had  been  thought  too  inhospitable  to  support  an  extensive  pop- 
ulation and  which  had  been  abandoned,  as  a  hunting  ground  for  Indian 
tribes,  had  proven  that  it  was  the  garden  spot  of  all  the  world,  and 
Clayton  county  had  proven  that  it  was  the  garden  spot  of  Iowa.  The 
real  growth  of  the  county  is  to  be  found  during  this  period,  not  in  the 
towns,  but  on  the  farms.  No  mushroom  cities  grew,  there  were  no 
booms  and  no  seasons  of  wild  speculation.  Practically  no  railroad 
mileage  was  added.  The  towns  were,  in  fact,  almost  ultra  conservative. 
They  grew  and  expanded  but  in  reality  lagged  behind  the  development 
of  the  county  as  a  whole.  The  best  brain  and  brawn  of  the  county 
was  on  the  farm.  This  was  shown  by  better  methods  of  agriculture, 
by  improvement  of  stock,  by  intensive  methods,  by  better  buildings,  and 
by  higher  priced  lands.  Northeastern  Iowa  became  noted  as  the  dairy 
of  the  United  States.  The  prairies,  where  once  roamed  the  elk  and 
buffalo,  were  dotted  with  cattle  of  the  purest  blood.  There  were  no 
woolen  mills,  nor  factories  of  the  larger  kind,  but  the  creameries  were 
almost  as  numerous  as  the  schools.  In  short,  the  farm  was  not  the 
adjunct  of  the  town ;  the  town  was  the  adjunct  of  the  farm,  and  the 
towns  but  barely  kept  pace  with  the  demand  of  the  rich  agricultural 
districts  by  which  they  were  surrounded.  The  increased  transporta- 
tion facilities  limited  the  trade  area  of  each  town  to  its  own  immediate 
vicinity.  Men  no  longer  drove  two  hundred  miles  to  take  their  wheat 
to  McGregor.  The  line  to  the  west  and  the  Elkader  branch  curtailed 
the  trade  of  the  Pocket  city;  the  Volga  branch  took  from  the  trade 
of  Elkader;  and  the  line  through  Strawberry  Point  was  a  bane  to  the 
merchants  along  the  Volga.    While  this  prevented  the  growth  of  any 


240  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

large  city  and  was  a  source  of  regret  to  the  individual  merchants,  it 
was  of  great  economic  value  to  the  county,  as  the  farmer  was  within 
easy  reach  of  transportation  and  was  able  to  pick  and  choose  his 
market  place.  Increased  land  values  operated  to  prevent  growth  in 
population,  and  allowing  for  natural  increase,  there  was  a  positive  loss. 
Just  as  the  cheap  lands  of  Iowa  beckoned  to  the  ambitious  poor  and  the 
adventurous  young  of  the  eastern  states  in  early  days,  so  the  Dakotas 
and  Kansas  and  Nebraska  called  to  the  youth  of  Iowa.  And  thus 
while  Clayton  county  prospered,  it  grew,  not  in  population,  not  in  the 
building  of  cities,  but  in  wealth  and  culture  and  material  comforts. 

Politics — From  1880  until  1894  the  politics  of  the  county  hinged 
almost  entirely  upon  the  question  of  prohibition.  Whatever  may  be 
the  results  of  this  great  problem,  the  immediate  effects  of  this  con- 
troversy were  disastrous  for  Clayton  county.  Had  it  stopped  with 
politics  the  harm  would  have  been  insignificant,  perhaps,  but  it  entered 
into  the  courts,  the  schools,  the  church,  into  business  life  and  the 
personal  relation  of  the  men  of  the  county.  It  made  friends  of  enemies 
and  enemies  of  friends.  The  passage  of  the  so-called  "mulct  law," 
in  the  early  90's,  was  the  signal  for  a  truce  on  this  question  which 
lasted  for  twenty  years. 

In  1893,  the  pressure  of  hard  times  drove  men  to  think  chiefly  of 
economic  matters,  and  it  was  then  that  the  silver  question  sprang  into 
existence,  and  it  occupied  the  center  of  the  political  stage  until  after 
the  close  of  the  century. 

While  a  few  of  the  giants  of  the  ante-bellum  days;  such  men  as 
Murdock,  Noble,  Crosby,  Updegraff,  Uriell  and  Stoneman,  remained 
as  factors  in  the  politics  of  the  county  many  new  men  were  springing 
up,  men  who  had  been  born  in  the  county,  old  soldiers  whose  military 
records  made  them  beloved  of  the  people,  new  men  coming  to  the 
county  after  the  war  and  proving  their  worth,  were  to  be  reckoned 
with  in  politics.  Such  men  as  John  Everall,  R.  E.  Price,  Senator  Bay- 
less,  J.  E.  Corlett,  Henry  Meyer,  and  later,  D.  D.  Murphy,  H.  C. 
Bishop,  Henry  Meder,  John  G.  Hemple,  B.  W.  Newberry  and  others, 
became  prominent. 

In  1880,  Clayton  county  was  Republican,  occasional  Democratic 
officers  were  elected,  but  in  the  main  the  Republican  party  was  dom- 
inant. The  question  of  prohibition  entered  into  the  contest,  but  not 
enough  to  change  the  current  of  thought  in  the  presidential  election. 
It  was  in  this  year  that  Charles  Reugnitz  made  his  first  appearance  as 
a  candidate.  He  was  secretary  of  the  Democratic  county  convention 
and  was  nominated  for  clerk  over  Mr.  Shields.  Reugnitz  declined  and 
Shields  was  nominated,  later  Shields  withdrew  and  the  committee 
named  Reugnitz.  The  Republican  majority  for  Garfield  was  more  than 
600.  Updegraff  was  elected  to  congress,  Reugnitz,  who  was  connected 
with  the  hoop  factory  at  Clayton  was  defeated  by  J.  F.  Thompson 
and  C.  L.  McGonigal  lost  the  office  of  recorder  to  Charles  Shecker. 

In  1881,  the  Democrats  were  at  first  so  badly  disorganized  that 
they  held  no  convention  to  name  state  delegates,  and  these  were 
appointed  by  F.  D.  Bayless,  who,  as  chairman  of  the  Democratic  county 
committee,  was  coming  into  political  prominence.  William  Larrabee, 
of  Fayette  county,  but  whose  interests  were  large  in  this  county,  was  a 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD — 1880-I9OO  24 1 

candidate  for  the  Republican  nomination  for  governor  but  was  defeated 
by  Buren  R.  Sherman.  Prohibition  was  a  growing  factor  in  this  cam- 
paign, but  Sherman  carried  the  county  by  more  than  200.  The 
Democrats  elected  C.  F.  Floete  treasurer  and  G.  H.  Scofield  supervisor, 
but  John  Everall  was  beaten  for  superintendent  by  O.  D.  Oathout  by 
91  majority  and  the  balance  of  the  ticket  was  Republican. 

Prohibition — In  June,  1882,  came  the  election  on  the  prohibitory 
amendment.     This  was  defeated  in  Clayton  county,  the  vote  being, 
for  823,  against  2,955.    The  amendment  carried  in  the  state  by  30,000. 
There  had  been  a  bitter  fight,  and  those  opposed  to  prohibition,  held 
the  Republican  party  responsible  for  its  submission  to  the  people  and 
for  its  passage.    The  Germans,  who  had  been  largely  with  the  Repub- 
licans and  who  were  opposed  to  prohibition,  left  the  Republican  party 
almost  en  masse  and  the  result  was  apparent  in  the  election  of  Novem- 
ber, 1882,  when  the  Democrats  carried  the  county  by  nearly  700,  Upde- 
graff  had  a  margin  of  but  61,  and  L.  H.  Weller  was  elected.    Neverthe- 
less, Thompson,  Republican,  defeated  Corlett  for  clerk  and  Shecker 
won  for  recorder  as  against  Reugnitz ;  Frank  Shoulte,  Democrat,  was 
elected  on  the  board,  and  L.  O.  Hatch  for  district  judge  and  C.  Welling- 
ton for  attorney,  both  Democrats,  had  large  majorities.     During  this 
campaign  there  were  organizations  both  for  and  against  prohibition.    A 
prohibitory  amendment  convention  was  held  in  Elkader  as  early  as 
October,  1881.     In  January,  there  was  a  prohibition  convention  with 
Francis  H.  Palmer,  president  and  Robert  Grant  secretary.     In  June, 
1882,  there  was  an  anti-prohibition  convention,  called  by  S.  K.  Adams. 
Robert  Quigley  was  chairman  of  this  convention  and,   speaking  of 
the  effect  of  prohibitory  laws,  he  said  that,  in  1872,  there  were  forty- 
two  saloons  in  McGregor,  that  a  $50  license  was  imposed  and  sixteen 
saloons  went  out  of  business,  and  that,  at  that  time,  there  were  but 
sixteen  saloons  in  McGregor.     He  said  that  liquor  prosecutions  had 
already  cost  the  county  $6,000  and  that  but  two  convictions,   from 
Monona,  had  been  secured.     H.   O.   Pratt  stumped  the  county   for 
prohibition  and  he  and  S.  K.  Adams  held  joint  debates.    The  Register, 
Democratic,  of  Elkader,  hails  the  results  of  the  election  of  1882  as  "A 
Tidal  Wave ;  Revolution  Complete."     The  year  1883,  was  another  of 
prohibition  excitement.    A  test  case  was  brought  and  Judge  Walter  I. 
Hayes,  of  Clinton,  held  the  amendment  annulled  because  the  wording 
differed  in  one  section  as  passed  by  the  senate  and  as  passed  by  the 
house.     This  decision  was  confirmed  by  the  supreme  court  and  the 
amendment  was  thrown  out.    This  reopened  the  whole  question.    The 
prohibitionists  were  angered  that  the  result  of  the  election  had  been 
nullified  by  what  they  believed  to  be  a  technicality,  or  worse,  and  the 
anti-prohibitionists  were  determined  to  defeat  any  legislation  if  pos- 
sible.   Clayton  county  was  in  a  turmoil.    In  February,  1883,  ^  prohibi- 
tion convention  was  held  and  among  the  delegates  to  the  state  con- 
vention were  Michael  Uriell  and  J.  O.  Crosby.    The  Democratic  con- 
vention was  the  largest  that  party  had  yet  held  and  F.  D.  Bayless  was 
nominated  for  the  senate.    The  Republicans  were  styled  "Prohiblicans." 
There  were  joint  debates  on  the  temperance  issue,  between  C.  E.  Floete 
and  Ernest  Hofer  of  the  McGregor  News.    The  result  of  the  October 
election  was  a  complete  Democratic  victory,  ranging  from  730  for  L. 


242  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

G.  Kinne  for  governor,  to  57  for  August  Borman,  sheriff ;  John  Ever- 
all  was  elected  auditor  and  Bayless  as  senator.  The  top-notch  majority 
was  given  Walter  I.  Hayes,  who  carried  the  county  for  supreme 
judge,  by  871.  Garnavillo  ratified  the  election  with  a  grand  illumina- 
tion and  torch  light  parade. 

In  March,  1884,  a  prohibitory  law  was  passed  by  the  legislature, 
carrying  into  effect,  by  statute,  what  had  been  lost  with  the  amendment. 
This  was  the  year  of  the  great  Cleveland-Blaine  contest  and  national 
issues  were  more  prominent.  Updegraff  was  the  candidate  of  this 
county  for  the  congressional  nomination,  but,  in  a  long  drawn  conven- 
tion battle,  he  was  defeated  by  L.  N.  Fuller,  on  the  i6th  ballot.  Judge 
Murdock,  also  was  a  candidate  for  the  independent  judicial  nomination, 
but  he  was  defeated  by  J.  F.  Dayton.  Judge  Noble  was  the  democratic 
candidate  for  district  elector.  In  Clayton  county  the  entire  democratic 
ticket  was  elected  by  an  average  majority  of  nearly  700.  There  were 
ratification  meetings  at  Elkader,  Guttenberg,  Strawberry  Point  and 
McGregor  and  a  grand  county  rally  at  Elkader  to  celebrate  the  Cleve- 
land victory  with  fireworks,  bands,  a  torch  light  procession  of  500,  and 
an  address  by  John  Everall.  Prohibition  was  still  the  issue  in  1885, 
William  Larrabee  was  the  republican  nominee  for  governor  and  he  was 
opposed  by  C.  E.  Whiting,  on  a  state  ticket  composed  equally  of  demo- 
crats and  greenbackers.  Even  so  popular  a  man  as  Judge  Murdock  was 
defeated  for  representative  on  the  republican  ticket  in  the  election  of 
1885,  and  the  average  democratic  majority  was  about  800.  It  was  in 
this  year  that  Charles  Reugnitz  began  his  long  career  as  treasurer  of 
Clayton  county. 

The  election  of  1886  was  practically  a  repetition  of  the  preceding 
years.  The  republican  party  was  thoroughly  disorganized  and  dis- 
heartened. E.  M.  Williams,  Thos.  Updegraff,  J.  O.  Crosby  and  R.  E. 
Price  were  about  the  only  republican  leaders  in  the  county.  The  demo- 
cratic majority  increased  to  an  average  of  more  than  1,000,  the  lowest 
majority  being  715,  given  Robert  Quigley  for  county  attorney.  During 
these  years  came  the  fiercest  struggle  for  the  enforcement  of  the  pro- 
hibitory law.  More  than  two  thirds  of  the  county  was  opposed  to  its 
enforcement  and  the  attempts  to  close  saloons  caused  bad  blood  and 
much  ill  feeling.  The  friends  of  prohibitionists  insisted  that  the  law 
must  be  obeyed  and  the  opponents  of  the  law  asserted  that  the  prosecu- 
tions were  persecutions  and  made  the  cover  for  graft.  This  turmoil 
created  a  most  unhealthy  state  throughout  the  county.  At  a  meeting 
of  the  county  temperance  alliance,  held  in  June,  1887,  it  was  reported 
that  injunctions  had  been  obtained  against  twenty-one  saloons  and  three 
breweries,  temporary  injunctions  against  10  saloons  and  i  brewery  and 
that  8  cases  were  pending.  A  member  of  the  convention  from  Clayton 
stated  that  in  his  town  the  saloons  were  open  day  and  night  and  Sunday 
and  sold  indiscriminately  to  minors  and  drunkards.  The  remedy  pro- 
posed by  the  prohibitionists  was  stricter  enforcement  and  the  remedy 
of  the  anti-prohibitionists  was  a  license  law,  which  should  regulate 
rather  than  prohibit.  William  Larrabee  was  the  republican  candidate 
for  governor  in  1887,  and  although  he  was  well  known  and  had  large 
interests  in  the  county,  he  was  defeated  in  Gayton  by  almost  1,200, 
the  lowest  democratic  majority  given  was  458,  for  senator  Bayless.    It 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  243 

was  in  this  year  that  H.  C.  Bishop  was  first  elected  superintendent. 

The  Cleveland-Harrison  campaign  of  1888  inspired  the  republicans 
to  more  activity  and  the  campaign  was  harder  fought  than  in  former 
years.  D,  D.  Murphy,  who  had  been  principal  of  the  schools  at  Gutten- 
berg  and  who  had  but  recently  moved  to  Elkader  to  practice  law,  for  the 
first  time  became  prominent  as  a  democratic  orator.  It  was  in  the  day 
of  the  torch  light  campaign  and  there  were  rallies  all  over  the  county. 
At  Elkader,  both  parties  rallied  on  the  same  evening;  there  were  clubs 
from  Clayton  Center,  Strawberry  Point,  Garnavillo  and  Monona  in  the 
democratic  parade,  with  drum  corps  and  bands,  and  D.  D.  Murphy 
delivered  the  address.  The  republicans  had  a  parade  of  nearly  equal 
proportions ;  one  feature  being  the  Ladies'  Harrison  Club,  and  the 
democratic  paper  complains  bitterly  that  the  ladies  sang,  while  march- 
ing, "We'll  hang  old  Cleveland  on  a  sour  apple  tree."  The  republican 
orators  were  L.  E.  Fellows,  and  Col.  J.  K.  Sweeney,  of  Osage.  The 
democratic  majority  in  the  county  was  about  700,  and  all  the  democratic 
county  ticket  was  elected.  Two  of  the  old  time  republican  leaders  to 
bite  the  dust  were  Samuel  Murdock,  for  attorney,  and  Gregor  Mc- 
gregor  for  supervisor.  Nevertheless,  the  republicans  jubilated  over  the 
national  victory  and  Elkader  was  ablaze  with  torch  lights,  fireworks 
and  bond  fires.  The  Garnavillo  band  was  employed  and  the  Ladies' 
Harrison  Club  marched  in  triumph. 

The  democratic  party  reached  almost  the  crest  of  its  tide  in  1889. 
Horace  Boies  was  the  candidate  for  governor  on  a  platform  for  license. 
D.  D.  Murphy  was  chairman  of  the  democratic  county  committee,  the 
county  convention  was  large  and  enthusiastic.  The  result  in  Clayton 
county  was  a  victory  of  almost  two  to  one.  The  vote  for  governor 
was,  Boies,  3,395 ;  Hutchinson,  1,735 ;  Boies  majority,  1,660.  This  was 
regarded  not  only  as  a  democratic  victory,  but  as  a  victory  against  pro- 
hibition, and  Clayton  county  celebrated  accordingly.  At  Elkader  all 
the  stores  were  ablaze  with  candles,  there  was  a  torch  light  parade, 
speeches  by  Murphy,  Bishop,  Everall  and  Bayless  and  this  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  grand  ball. 

As  a  democratic  nomination  was  considered  equivalent  to  an  elec- 
tion the  conventions  of  that  party  were  the  scenes  of  hard  fought  bat- 
tles. In  1890  it  took  one  informal  and  nine  formal  ballots  to  nominate 
a  recorder.  John  G.  Hagensick,  J.  H.  Hill,  Fred  Soil  and  Theo 
Krasinsky  were  the  candidates  and  Soil  finally  won.  D.  D.  Murphy 
was  candidate  for  county  attorney.  The  entire  democratic  ticket  was 
elected,  the  lowest  majority  being  1,195.  ^^  1891  was  another  Boies 
campaign,  and  it  was  another  landslide  for  Clayton  county  demo- 
crats. Boies'  majority  was  more  than  1,500,  and  the  only  contest 
which  approached  closeness  was  that  for  sheriff,  J.  J.  Kann  defeating 
Fred  Bergman,  republican,  by  a  vote  of  2,950  to  2,579. 

The  presidential  campaign  of  1892  maintained  the  democratic 
supremacy  in  this  county.  The  political  sensation  of  the  year  was  a 
suit  for  criminal  libel  against  Otis  and  Widman  of  the  McGregor  News, 
with  H.  C.  Bishop  as  prosecuting  witness.  The  News  had  published 
articles  reflecting  upon  Mr.  Bishop's  conduct  of  the  oflfice  of  superin- 
tendent. After  a  stormy  trial  the  News'  editors  were  found  guilty,  but 
a  motion  for  a  new  trial  was  sustained  and  the  case  did  not  come  up 


244  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

again.  In  1892  the  Australian  ballot  was  first  used  in  Iowa.  The 
republicans  succeeded  in  reducing  the  democratic  majority  to  less 
than  900,  but  the  entire  democratic  ticket  was  elected. 

In  1893  Frank  D.  Jackson  was  the  republican  candidate  for  gov- 
ernor, and  the  keynote  of  the  platform  was  that  "Prohibition  is  no  test 
of  party  fealty."  This  was  taken  to  presage  some  modification  of  the 
prohibitory  law  and  this,  together  with  the  hard  times,  which  struck 
the  country  in  1893,  invited  the  return  of  many  former  republicans  to 
that  party.  In  Gayton  county  the  republicans  were  aided  by  a  con- 
vention fight  for  the  democratic  nomination  for  sheriff.  There  were 
several  candidates  and  John  K.  Molumby  was  nominated.  Fred  Cook, 
his  closest  opponent,  declared  that  he  had  been  defeated  by  unfair 
methods,  that  he  would  not  support  Molumby  and  that  he  would  be  a 
candidate.  The  republicans  took  advantage  of  this  situation  and  nomi- 
nated Cook  on  their  ticket.  The  result  was  the  reduction  of  the  demo- 
cratic majority  on  the  state  ticket  to  706,  the  election  of  Cook  by  one 
of  the  largest  majorities  ever  given  a  county  official;  the  vote  being 
Molumby,  1,780;  Cook,  3,544;  and  the  election  of  William  Monlux, 
republican,  for  supervisor. 

The  state  of  the  country  now  forced  economic  questions  to  the 
front.  Many  Democrats  were  dissatisfied  with  the  Cleveland  admin- 
istration and  this  opposition,  within  his  own  party,  was  already  strong 
in  1894.  In  this  election  the  democratic  majority  in  Clayton  county 
was  reduced  to  a  little  more  than  200  and  Updegraff  came  within  yj  of 
carrying  the  county  for  congress.  It  was  in  this  campaign  that  John  G. 
Hempel  was  first  a  candidate,  being  defeated  for  recorder  by  Fred 
Soil  by  less  than  100.  On  the  face  of  the  returns  Henry  Meder,  repub- 
lican, was  elected  supervisor  over  George  H.  Scofield  by  9  votes.  This 
election  was  contested  and  a  commission  was  appointed,  consisting  of 
Charles  Mentzel,  R.  E.  Price  and  Frank  Shoulte.  The  entire  vote  of 
the  county  was  recanvassed,  the  commission  taking  ten  days  for  its 
work.  Every  ballot  not  marked  strictly  according  to  law  was  thrown 
out  and  in  this  way  1,191  ballots  were  found  defective  and  Scofield 
was  declared  elected  by  a  majority  of  6.  An  appeal  was  taken  and 
on  the  recount  14  more  were  added  to  Scofield's  majority.  Under 
recent  decisions  it  is  probable  that  the  majority  of  these  1,191  ballots 
would  be  counted,  but  at  that  time  the  Australian  ballot  law  was  new 
and  there  were  no  precedents,  and  the  commission  undoubtedly  acted 
with  fairness.  The  contest  aroused  much  feeling  and  the  following 
year  the  republican  convention  denounced  the  action  of  the  commis- 
sion, but  at  the  same  time  nominated  R.  E.  Price,  a  member  of  the 
commission,  for  the  state  senate.  In  1895  the  democratic  majority  was 
increased  to  484,  all  democratic  nominees  were  elected,  the  only  close 
race  being  between  T.  J.  Sullivan,  democrat,  who  defeated  Henry 
Meder  for  representative  by  a  majority  of  64. 

Free  Silver  Issue — The  year  1896  saw  another  political  revolution. 
The  course  of  events  had  caused  wide  differences  in  both  political 
parties.  Free  silver  was  the  great  issue  and  it  gained  control  of 
democracy.  Horace  Boies  was  boomed  as  a  presidential  candidate. 
Clayton  was  a  "Sound  Money"  county  and  the  democratic  county  con- 
vention endorsed  the  Cleveland  administration  and  opposed  free  silver. 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  245 

D.  D.  Murphy  was  the  candidate  of  the  sound  money  democrats  for 
district  delegate.  The  free  silver  forces  won  in  the  state,  however,  and 
the  great  speech  delivered  by  William  J.  Bryan  in  reply  to  the  gold 
speech  by  David  B.  Hill  at  the  Chicago  convention  swept  Bryan  into 
the  leadership  of  democracy.  In  the  meantime  the  passage  of  the  mulct 
law,  by  which  the  provisions  of  the  prohibitory  law  might  be  abrogated 
upon  a  petition  signed  by  65  per  cent  of  the  voters,  had  largely  taken 
the  prohibition  question  out  of  politics.  In  those  counties  where  the 
prohibitory  sentiment  was  strong  the  law  remained  in  force  and  in 
counties,  such  as  Clayton,  where  the  majority  opposed  prohibition  there 
were  licensed  and  regulated  saloons.  While  the  leaders  of  democracy 
in  this  county  were  loyal  to  Bryan  and  preserved  their  party  regularity, 
the  German  voters  of  the  county  voted  largely  for  McKinley  and  against 
free  silver.  The  result  was  a  republican  majority  of  450  for  McKinley 
and  the  election  of  the  entire  republican  ticket,  with  the  exception  of 
J.  H.  Hill,  democrat,  who  was  elected  recorder  by  a  majority  of  121. 
Reuben  Noble  was  a  gold  democrat,  was  outspoken  in  his  convictions 
and  would  doubtless  have  taken  an  active  part  in  the  campaign  had 
his  splendid  career  not  been  ended  by  death  just  prior  to  this  election. 
Senator  Bayless  was  the  candidate  for  congress,  but  was  defeated  by 
Updegraf,  both  in  the  county  and  the  district.  It  was  in  1896  that 
John  G.  Hempel  was  first  elected  auditor  of  the  county. 

In  1897  the  political  pendulum  swung  back  for  Clayton  county 
democrats,  and  Fred  White,  the  democratic  candidate  for  governor, 
carried  the  county  against  Leslie  M.  Shaw  by  a  little  less  than  200. 
The  democratic  county  candidates  were  mostly  candidates  for  re-elec- 
tion. They  were  popular  men,  Reugnitz  for  treasurer  and  Denton  for 
sheriff  being  particularly  strong.  Such  democrats  as  John  Everall  an- 
nounced that,  while  opposed  to  free  silver,  they  would  act  with  the 
democratic  party,  and  this  was  the  position  of  many  of  the  gold  demo- 
crats. As  a  result  H.  G.  Jenkins,  for  supervisor,  was  the  only  republican 
elected. 

The  sensation  of  1898  in  republican  circles  was  the  campaign  for 
the  congressional  nomination.  Mr.  Updegraff  was  again  a  candidate, 
and  he  was  opposed  by  several  others,  among  whom  was  J.  E.  Blythe, 
of  Mason  City.  At  the  convention  more  than  300  ballots  were  taken 
and  the  result  was  the  nomination  of  a  "dark  horse"  in  the  person  of 
G.  N.  Haugen,  of  Worth  county.  T.  T.  Blaise,  of  Mason  City,  was  the 
opposing  democrat.  The  election  of  1898  was  a  republican  victory; 
the  complete  county  ticket  being  elected,  with  the  exception  of  J.  H. 
Hill,  for  recorder,  and  the  republican  state  ticket  receiving  136  majority. 

In  1899  the  county  see-sawed  back  and  White,  democrat,  defeated 
Shay,  republican,  by  148,  and  the  entire  democratic  ticket  was  elected 
by  a  small  majority.  This  was  preliminary  to  the  presidential  campaign 
of  1900,  when  McKinley  again  carried  the  county  by  a  large  majority 
over  Bryan. 

County  Government — The  county  government  under  the  control  of 
the  board  of  three  supervisors  was  in  the  main  satisfactory  and  efficient. 
The  board  was  composed  of  competent  men,  and  while  they  were  sub- 
ject to  criticism,  from  time  to  time,  there  was  no  scandal  connected 
with  their  administration.    The  many  serious  floods  and  severe  storms 


246  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

to  which  the  county  was  subjected  caused  a  severe  strain  upon  county 
finances,  and  the  building  of  bridges  occupied  a  large  portion  of  the 
time  of  the  board.  By  1883  it  was  found  that  there  were  a  large  num- 
ber of  county  warrants  outstanding,  and  that  failure  to  pay  these 
injured  the  credit  of  the  county  and  also  worked  hardship  upon 
creditors  who  needed  their  money  and  could  only  obtain  it  by  dis- 
counting their  warrants.  To  meet  this  the  county  voted  a  bond  issue 
of  $15,000  to  pay  warrants  issued  prior  to  1882.  Fourteen  thousand 
dollars  of  these  bonds  were  sold,  the  issue  being  almost  entirely  bought 
by  local  parties  at  a  good  premium.  The  first  pharmacy  permit  for  the 
sale  of  liquors  under  the  Clarke  law  was  issued  in  1882  to  W.  R. 
White,  of  Volga  City.  The  board  was  accused  of  extravagance  in 
bridge  building,  and  it  was  pointed  out  that  bridge  work  was  done 
much  more  cheaply  in  Allamakee  county.  This  criticism  finally  caused 
the  abandonment  of  the  old  system  and  the  letting  of  bridges  by  con- 
tract. Outside  of  its  routine  business,  the  board  during  this  period, 
accomplished  several  things  of  permanent  importance  to  the  county. 
The  first  of  these  was  the  building  of  the  splendid  stone  bridge  at 
Elkader. 

Elkader  Bridge — The  history  of  the  location  and  building  of  the 
Elkader  bridge  is  short  and  not  uninteresting.  Prior  to  the  building, 
the  river  at  this  point  was  spanned  by  several  double  iron  trusses  of 
the  Truesdale  patent.  This  bridge  had  been  defective  for  years,  and 
repairs  were  frequently  required  to  keep  it  in  passable  condition. 
Finally  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  believing  the  bridge  unsafe,  decided 
to  take  action,  and,  as  a  preliminary  step,  secured  the  service  of 
M.  Tschirgi,  Jr.,  C.  E.,  the  engineer  of  the  high  bridge  at  Dubuque,  to 
examine  the  old  structure  and  report  as  to  its  safety.  The  board  at 
this  time  consisted  of  Messrs.  S.  H.  F.  Schoulte,  James  McKinley  and 
John  Luther.  The  engineer  made  the  examination  and  reported  that 
the  structure  was  unsafe  and  should  be  condemned.  The  board  con- 
demned the  bridge  and  proceeded  to  have  a  new  structure  built.  The 
board  had  in  mind  the  construction  of  a  stone  arch  bridge,  as  the 
location  was  very  suitable,  it  would  be  permanent  and  avoid  the  heavy 
annual  expense  of  replanking  the  floor  of  either  an  iron  or  wooden 
bridge.  Also  Cole's  quarry  near  town  afforded  an  inexaustible  supply 
of  the  finest  magnesian  lime  stone,  free  from  all  imperfections  and 
which  has  proven  to  be  proof  against  the  action  of  frost  and  water. 
With  all  the  natural  advantages  at  hand,  the  board  believed  it  would 
be  a  matter  of  economy  to  carry  out  their  ideas  as  to  a  stone  arch 
bridge,  and  instructed  engineer  Tschirgi  to  prepare  a  preliminary  esti- 
mate of  the  cost  and  to  draw  up  a  complete  set  of  plans  and  specifica- 
tions for  a  stone  arch  bridge.  The  plan  was  made,  presented  to  the 
board,  and  adopted,  and  bids  invited  for  the  construction  of  either  an 
iron  or  stone  bridge.  The  result  justified  the  board's  ideas,  the  bids 
for  the  same  width  of  structure  and  requisite  strength  showing  the 
iron  to  be  more  expensive  than  the  price  at  which  the  contract  for  the 
stone  bridge  was  let. 

The  contract  was  awarded  to  Messrs.  Byrne  and  Blade,  two  enter- 
prising stone  masons  and  contractors  from  Dubuque,  for  $13,000.  The 
plans  upon  which  the  contract  was  based  called  for  two  spans,  each 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD — 1880-I9OO  247 

84  feet  in  the  clear,  with  a  center  pier,  19  feet  in  width,  at  the  foun- 
dation.   The  other  dimensions  were  as  follows : 

Clear  height  of  each  arch 27.9  feet 

Outside  width  of  bridge 34      feet 

Clear  width  of  bridge 30      feet 

Entire  length  of  bridge 346      feet 

The  road  bed  is  macadamized  with  gutter  on  upper  side  of  road- 
way, a  curb  stone  and  hexagonal  block  cement  sidewalk  six  feet  wide. 

The  contractors,  with  a  large  force  of  men,  commenced  work  on 
the  bridge  in  August,  and  it  required  nine  months  of  actual  work  to 
complete  it.  There  are  4,161  cubic  yards  of  material  in  the  bridge,  and 
its  estimated  weight  is  18,618,255  pounds,  equal  to  9,309  tons.  The 
gentlemen  who  had  charge  of  its  construction  deserve  great  credit 
for  the  skill  displayed  in  its  erection,  and  for  the  care  taken  to  avoid 
accidents,  as  no  one  was  injured,  nor  any  accident  of  any  description 
occurred,  and  the  work  was  both  difficult  and  dangerous.  While  the 
work  was  progressing  the  public  was  allowed  to  cross  the  bridge 
freely,  the  old  structure  being  kept  in  position  until  a  crossing  could 
be  effected  on  the  new  bridge,  although  the  new  stands  in  exactly  the 
same  place  formerly  occupied  by  the  old.  The  completion  of  this 
bridge  gave  to  Elkader  and  Clayton  county  the  finest  and  longest  stone 
arch  highway  bridge  in  the  state,  or  in  fact  anywhere  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River.  It  is  not  only  a  credit  to  its  designer,  M.  Tschirgi, 
and  an  ornament  to  Elkader,  but  is  a  most  economical  structure,  when 
it  is  considered  that  it  is  practically  indestructible,  needing  no  repairs, 
and  cost  even  less  than  an  iron  bridge  of  the  same  dimensions  would 
have  cost. 

County  Asylum — By  the  spring  of  1880  the  county  asylum  had 
been  built  on  the  poor  farm  in  Reed  township.  This  structure  was  two 
stories  high,  had  furnace  heat  and  contained  twelve  cells.  In  1890  it 
was  felt  that  the  institution  could  be  operated  with  less  expense  if  the 
farm  was  larger,  and  80  acres  was  purchased  from  John  Daniels  for 
the  sum  of  $1,550.  The  number  of  insane  patients  increased  and  these 
were  kept  at  the  state  hospital  at  Independence,  at  considerable  ex- 
pense. The  legislature  enacted  a  law  by  which  counties  might  erect 
and  maintain  hospitals  for  the  incurable  insane.  A  proposition  to  do 
this  was  submitted  to  the  voters  in  1897,  and  was  carried  by  a  majority 
of  846.  Immediately  after  the  election,  both  McGregor  and  Guttenberg 
made  claim  for  the  location,  but  the  question  was  decided  in  favor  of 
Elkader,  upon  the  condition  that  Elkader  should  provide  a  site  of  at 
least  6  acres,  and  should  run  the  city  water  mains  to  the  building.  Elk- 
ader met  these  conditions,  offering  the  present  beautiful  site  of  the 
county  hospital.  The  location  is  an  ideal  one  for  such  an  institution, 
and  Clayton  county  can  congratulate  itself  that  it  has  provided  for  its 
unfortunates  in  such  a  generous  manner.  The  board  proceeded  at  once 
with  the  plans  for  this  building  and  contracts  were  let.  William  Mon- 
lux  was  chairman  of  the  board,  and  was  the  commissioner  in  charge  of 
the  construction.  The  total  cost  of  the  building,  under  the  contract 
was  $14,845.55.  The  building,  of  brick  and  stone,  consist  of  two  sto- 
ries and  a  basement,  the  dimensions  are,  length  141  feet  2  inches ;  width, 
wings,  41  feet ;  center,  44  feet,  with  a  porch  and  entrance  steps,  17  feet 


248  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

wide.  The  building  contains  a  central  or  administrative  department 
with  a  wing  on  either  side  containing  wards  for  patients.  The  cellar 
and  basement  walls  were  constructed  by  Stoops  &  Williamson,  and  are 
fine  specimens  of  mason  work,  the  rock  being  taken  from  the  quarry- 
adjacent  to  the  building.  J.  L.  Schneider  &  Bros,  were  the  contractors 
for  the  brick  work,  etc. ;  W.  F.  Kleimpell  furnished  the  heating  appara- 
tus; Brown  &  Bahr  the  plumbing;  E.  T.  Barnum  the  steel  work,  and 
H.  L.  Griffith  did  the  electric  wiring.  There  is  one  thing  to  be  said  for 
Clayton  county,  and  that  is  that  no  county  has  come  nearer  to  getting 
the  worth  of  its  money  in  all  of  its  public  buildings  than  has  Clayton. 
An  addition  was  built  to  the  court  house  in  shape  of  a  tower  to  con- 
tain the  clock  which  was  donated  by  the  people  of  Elkader,  F.  D.  Bay- 
less  and  J.  B.  Schmidt  being  the  promoters.  The  tower  cost  $1,200,  the 
clock  $550  and  the  bell  $190.    This  work  was  done  in  1896. 

In  1895,  soon  after  the  passage  of  the  mulct  law  there  was  much 
confusion  as  to  the  collection  of  the  mulct  tax.  Upon  advice  of  counsel 
many  liquor  dealers  refused  to  pay  the  mulct  tax  pending  the  decision 
as  to  the  constitutionality  of  the  law.  When  this  point  was  decided 
the  saloon  men  came  before  the  board,  asking  that  a  compromise  be 
affected.  They  stated  that  not  over  50  per  cent  of  the  liquor  dealers 
had  been  taxed  and  they  offered  to  furnish  a  complete  list  of  the  deal- 
ers in  the  county.  The  board  ordered,  at  a  special  session,  that  all  penal- 
ties, interest  and  costs,  also  all  tax  due  prior  to  October  i,  1894,  would 
be  remitted  on  condition  that  taxes  not  remitted  be  promptly  paid,  and 
that  a  correct  list  of  all  engaged  in  the  liquor  traffic  be  furnished. 
There  were  44  dealers  listed  at  the  time. 

Storms  and  Floods — It  has  been  mentioned  that  the  large  part  of 
the  work  of  the  board  was  in  building  and  repairing  bridges.  The 
county  was  the  victim  of  a  number  of  severe  storms  and  damaging 
floods.  In  June,  1880,  there  was  a  terriffic  storm.  Bloody  Run  was 
flooded,  the  narrow  gauge  suffered  heavily  from  washouts  at  Beulah 
and  St.  Olaf,  the  county  bridge  at  Pony  Creek  was  washed  away.  Elk- 
port  and  Osterdock  were  under  water,  the  Martin  Garber  farm  was 
badly  damaged  and  the  Mississippi  was  the  highest  that  had  been 
known.  At  McGregor  the  river  came  to  the  steps  of  the  Flanders 
house,  Guttenberg  was  an  island  and  railroad  traffic  was  completely 
suspended.  The  next  great  storm  was  more  in  the  nature  of  a  cyclone, 
and  occurred  in  June,  1881.  Urdell's  timber  suffered  badly.  The 
storm  was  on  Sunday  and  the  church  at  Elkport  was  crowded ;  the 
wind  struck  the  building  with  great  fury,  trees  were  blown  down, 
teams  stampeded  and  a  panic  prevailed.  June  seemed  to  be  the  month 
of  storms,  and  in  1883  a  destructive  cyclone  swept  through  Bremer, 
Fayette  and  Clayton  counties.  The  cyclone  swept  down  Bear  Creek 
with  a  noise  like  a  railroad  train,  destroying  everything  in  its  path. 
The  Hartge  home,  at  Elkport,  was  destroyed,  and  Mrs.  Hartge  was 
injured.  At  Littleport  hail  stones,  "the  size  of  potatoes,"  were  reported. 
Just  a  month  later  the  river  at  Osterdock  is  reported  as  "running  from 
bluff  to  bluff."  Many  families  were  forced  to  move,  boats  were  used 
on  the  main  street  of  the  town,  and  the  saw  mill  was  completely  under 
water.  The  elements  were  kind  for  a  number  of  years,  but  in  June, 
1890,  floods  washed  out  the  bridges  on  the  Elkader  branch,  the  Turkey 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  249 

was  the  highest  it  had  been  for  nine  years,  the  Volga  bridge  was  washed 
out,  the  Meder  saw  mill  destroyed,  and  there  was  much  damage  at 
McGregor.  Again  in  June,  1892,  floods  swept  away  a  thousand  feet  of 
the  Beulah  line  and  trains  ran  to  Stulta  only.  The  damage  to  county 
bridges  at  this  time  was  estimated  at  $25,000. 

The  big  storm  of  1895  occurred  in  August,  and  the  Elkader  branch 
was  again  put  out  of  commission  and  2,000  feet  of  track  destroyed. 

Flood  of  1896 — The  most  disastrous  storm  in  the  history  of  the 
county,  in  loss  of  life,  occurred  in  the  latter  part  of  May,  1896.  This 
was  a  storm  partaking  of  the  nature,  both  of  a  cyclone  and  a  cloudburst. 
This  storm  was  general  throughout  the  west.  The  most  damage  was 
done  at  St.  Louis  and  among  the  other  losses  there,  was  that  of  the 
steamer  "Libbie  Conger"  of  the  Diamond  Jo  line,  the  boat  sinking  in 
the  middle  of  the  river  with  Captain  Seaman,  his  wife  and  six  of  the 
crew.  In  this  county  the  full  force  of  the  storm  was  felt  on  Bloody 
Run.  It  came  between  11  and  12  o'clock  of  a  Sunday  night.  A  terrific 
stream  of  water  poured  down  Bloody  Run  Hollow,  filling  the  bottoms 
to  a  depth  of  from  ten  to  twenty  feet.  About  a  mile  west  of  Beulah 
the  flood  began  tearing  out  railway  bridges  and  the  track  bed.  When 
it  struck  the  Beulah  depot  it  swept  everything  away.  William  Lord, 
the  agent  and  his  family,  occupied  the  upper  rooms.  They  heard  the 
rushing  water  and  escaped  to  the  bluff  but  lost  everything  they  had. 
The  flood  struck  the  house  of  Mrs.  Patrick  Burke,  taking  her  and 
her  grandson,  William  Burke,  down  the  torrent.  Their  bodies  were 
found  a  few  miles  below.  At  John  Maloney's  three  young  men,  John 
Kodletz,  Michael  Havljeck  and  John  Levostch  had  stopped  to  await 
the  passing  of  the  storm.  These  three,  with  Mr.  Maloney,  his  wife 
and  brother  Michael  were  lost  in  the  flood.  The  water  piled  up  against 
the  bridge  and  embankment  until  these  gave  way  and  carried  the  track 
and  bridge  against  the  house,  but  three  of  the  bodies  from  this  home 
were  recovered.  The  next  home  was  that  of  Lawrence  Meyer  and 
he  and  his  wife  and  five  children  perished.  In  the  McGregor  yards, 
seven  canvas  men,  of  Kirkhart  and  Ryan  Circus,  were  caught  in  the 
flood  and  sought  safety  in  a  box  car.  This  was  overturned  and  flooded 
and  the  canvas  men  were  lost ;  thus  at  least  twenty  were  killed  in  this 
storm.  At  North  McGregor,  the  scene  of  destruction  was  startling. 
Houses,  cars,  engines  and  bridges  being  scattered  in  a  promiscuous 
heap  at  the  mouth  of  the  valley.  The  flood  rose  so  quickly  that  train- 
men going  to  work  in  the  yards  had  to  climb  onto  box  cars  to  save 
themselves  and  the  men  at  the  round  house  had  to  seek  the  tops  of  the 
engines  for  safety.  Tracks,  saw  mills  and  lumber  piles  were  also 
destroyed.  It  was  not  until  June  12,  that  railroad  traffic  was  resumed 
in  the  county. 

Dr.  J.  W.  O'Brien,  writing  for  a  New  York  paper,  describes  this 
storm  as  follows :  "There  came  a  cloudburst  on  the  24th  of  May,  last ; 
the  water  came  down  in  a  solid  sheet  from  11  o'clock  until  i  a.  m. 
From  Beulah  for  nine  miles  down  to  the  outlet  at  North  McGregor 
an  awful  flood  rolled  down.  Railroad  engines  were  hurled  around 
like  foot  balls,  and  great  iron  bridges  snapped  like  pipe  stems.  Houses 
were  caught  and  flung  up  against  the  hill  side  and  their  occupants 
whirled  to  death  with  the  destructive  torrent.     Poor  John  Maloney, 


250  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

wife  and  children,  were  among  the  lost;  Michael  Crimmins'  house 
was  hedged  in  by  great  bridge  girders  which  held  it  anchored  to  the 
hillside  and  kept  death  away.  As  we  pass  along  the  swath  of  uptorn 
trees  and  debris  of  what  were  once  railroad  and  houses  littering  the 
valley,  we  are  shown  where  Crimmins'  horses  ran  for  their  lives  to  a 
knoll,  where  they  stayed  until  the  waters  abated.  Engineer  Stephens 
shows  us  his  locomotive,  thirty-one  tons  weight,  which  was  made  to 
dance  a  sort  of  Highland  fling  or  Virginia  reel  in  the  surging  torrent, 
the  engineer  perched  the  while  on  the  top  of  his  cab  with  some  200 
cars  rushing  and  crashing  around  him  on  the  crest  of  the  deadly 
waters.    He  had  been  at  Bull  Run  and  says  Bloody  Run  beats  it." 

In  May,  1899,  there  was  a  cyclone  which  was  at  its  worst  near 
Colesburg  and  which  swept  through  Mallory  township.  Several  were 
killed  and  much  property  destroyed.  Every  house  in  the  path  of  this 
storm  was  wrecked.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  not  only  the  railroad, 
but  the  supervisors  had  their  hands  full  repairing  the  devastations  of 
these  many  serious  storms. 

County  Events — In  social  life  and  in  politics  this  was  pre-eminently 
the  period  of  the  old  soldiers.  Sufficient  time  had  elapsed  so  that  the 
memories  of  the  war  had  grown  dearer  and  the  ranks  had  not  been 
greatly  thinned  by  death.  The  soldiers,  who  left  Clayton  county,  as 
youths,  returned  to  pick  up  the  thread  of  their  life  work  and,  between 
1880  and  1900,  these  warriors  were  in  the  very  prime  of  manhood. 
Thus  it  was  that  a  large  per  cent  of  public  offices  and  public  honors 
were,  rightfully,  bestowed  upon  the  old  soldiers  and  that  their  reunions 
were  the  great  events  of  the  county.  This  largely  accounts  for  the 
gradual  loss  of  interest  in  the  old  settlers  meetings.  The  pioneer  picnic 
for  1 88 1  held  at  Garnavillo,  was  a  grand  success,  however.  Main  street 
was  spanned  by  arches,  the  parade  included  "Mathews  Military  Band, 
Officers  in  Carriages,  Forty-eight  Old  Settlers  on  Foot,  Walters  Family 
Band,  Garnavillo  Turn  Verein."  There  were  addresses  by  A.  C. 
Rogers  and  P.  P.  Olmstead,  followed  a  lengthy  talk  by  Judge  Mur- 
dock  and  an  original  song  by  J.  W.  Stahl,  of  Elkport.  Michael  Uriel! 
was  elected  president  and  A.  C.  Rogers,  secretary.  The  reunion  for 
1882  was  held  at  Elkader  with  the  usual  parade  and  address  by  Judge 
Murdock.  The  old  officers  were  re-elected,  Elkader  was  selected  as  the 
next  meeting  place  and  the  innovation  consisted  of  a  free  dinner  for 
the  old  settlers  and  a  program  of  races.  In  1883,  at  Elkader,  C.  E. 
Floete  was,  for  the  first  time,  the  orator.  Among  the  other  speakers 
were  Colonel  Crosby,  Mr.  Dixson,  of  McGregor,  and  Robert  Read  of 
California,  a  son  of  the  much  loved  Captain  R.  R.  Read.  A  balloon 
ascension  was  on  the  program  but  it  was  delayed  by  rain  and  when 
a  later  effort  was  made  the  balloon  caught  fire.  These  attempts  at 
outside  attractions  show  that  it  was  felt  necessary  to  have  something 
more  than  the  old  settlers  program  in  order  to  draw  a  crowd.  Gutten- 
berg  was  the  meeting  place,  in  1884.  There  was  a  fine  parade  and 
speeches  by  Judge  Murdock  and  Frank  Shoulte.  Michael  Uriell  pre- 
sided, and  the  new  officers  were  John  Garber,  president,  and  Charles 
Reinecke,  secretary.  In  1885,  the  old  settlers  met  at  Elkport,  in  the 
Hartge  grove.  The  attendance  was  not  large  but  there  was  a  band 
and  a  general  good  time.     The  reunion  of  1886,  Avas  held  at  the  same 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  25 1 

place,  but  for  some  reason,  no  preparations  were  made,  and  while  the 
old  settlers  had  a  good  visit  and  a  ball  game,  the  day  was  not  a  distinct 
success.  A  stronger  effort  was  made  for  the  reunion  of  1887,  which 
was  held  at  Littleport.  The  newspaper  account  says  it  was  a  complete 
success  and  that  there  was  an  exciting  game  of  baseball  between  Elk- 
ader  and  Littleport,  which  the  latter  won  by  21  to  20.  The  gathering 
at  Strawberry  Point  in  1888,  was  a  large  one,  Mr.  Newberry  delivered 
an  address,  there  were  talks  by  F.  C.  Madison,  Alex  Blake,  P.  D.  Raw- 
son,  Edward  Dickens  and  Judge  Murdock.  There  was  also  a  poem  by 
Mrs  True.  Daniel  Greene  was  elected  president,  and  Ernest  Hofer, 
secretary.  The  old  settlers  reunion  for  1889,  was  held  at  Volga  on 
June  13.  There  was  good  music,  both  by  the  band  and  choir.  The 
oration  was  delivered  by  B.  W.  Newberry  of  Strawberry  Point,  and 
Hon.  S.  Murdock  gave  reminiscences  of  the  courts.  At  Edgewood  in 
1890  there  was  also  a  good  crowd.  A  call  was  made  for  those  who 
had  lived  in  the  county  fifty  years  and  George  Gifford,  Sam  Peck, 
Michael  Uriell  and  Edward  Dickens  responded.  The  address  was 
made  by  Mr.  Keeling  of  Volga  and  Judge  Murdock  presided.  Interest 
seems  to  have  waned  at  this  time  for  there  is  no  record  of  the  reunion 
of  1 89 1  and  in  July,  1892,  Samuel  Murdock  writes  to  the  press  that 
he  had  not  called  a  meeting  of  the  old  settlers  on  account  of  the  wet 
season,  but  in  September  the  reunion  was  held  in  a  grove  north  of 
Elkader.  The  Register  says :  ''The  number  in  attendance  was  not 
as  large  as  usual,  a  painful  evidence  of  the  fact  that  the  men  who 
first  crossed  the  great  Father  of  Waters  are  fast  passing  to  their  reward 
beyond  another  deep,  dark  tide."  Mayor  Hagensick  welcomed  the 
pioneers  and  Judge  Murdock  responded.  Other  speakers  to  tell  of  the 
pioneer  days  were  Ned  Dickens,  Michael  Uriell  and  S.  H.  F.  Schoulte. 
Resolutions  of  sympathy  were  passed  on  account  of  the  protracted  ill- 
ness of  Samuel  Peck.  The  officers  elected  were  P.  P.  Olmstead  presi- 
dent and  T.  H.  Studebaker,  of  McGregor,  secretary.  Meeting  of  1893 
was  held  at  McGregor,  but  without  special  incident.  From  this  time 
until  1 90 1  no  mention  of  an  old  settlers'  reunion  is  found  in  the  Elk- 
ader papers  from  which  one  is  lead  to  suppose  that  they  were  discon- 
tinued. Judge  Murdock,  who  for  many  years  was  the  central  figure  of 
these  reunions,  died  in  1897  and  there  seems  to  have  been  no  one  to 
push  the  plans  for  these  gatherings  until  they  were  taken  up  by  the 
people  of  Strawberry  Point.  In  truth  the  old  settlers  picnic  was  being 
largely  replaced  by  the  gatherings  of  the  veterans. 

Soldiers  Reunions — There  were  many  regimental  reunions  and  the 
state  had  set  the  example  by  holding  a  state  encampment  and  in  June, 

1882,  a  movement  was  started  at  Elkader  to  organize  the  soldiers  and 
sailors  of  the  county.  This  was  the  first  step  toward  the  organization 
of  the  Grand  Army  Post.  Memorial  day  services  were  held  in  Elkader, 
May  30,  1880,  at  which  time  the  graves  of  ten  soldiers  were  decorated. 
This  became  more  and  more  an  annual  observance  and  it  was  generally 
observed  each  year  throughout  the  county.     It  was  not  until  June, 

1883,  that  the  Grand  Army  Post  was  organized  at  Elkader.  H.  Kar- 
berg,  of  pubuque,  was  the  mustering  officer  and  the  post  was  named 
Boardman  Post,  in  honor  of  Captain  Elisha  Boardman  and  there  were 
nineteen  charter  members.     By  1884,  other  posts  had  been  organized, 


252  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

for  on  Memorial  Day,  of  that  year,  members  of  the  Grand  Army  were 
present  from  Elkport  and  Strawberry  Point,  as  well  as  from  Elkader. 
In  1885,  there  was  a  reunion  of  the  Twenty-seventh  Iowa  and  in  1886 
a  reunion  of  Company  D,  of  the  Twenty-first  Iowa,  at  which  time  the 
old  war  flag  was  carried.  In  1885,  it  is  stated  that  there  were  429 
soldiers  of  the  Civil  War  in  the  county,  seven  veterans  of  the  Mexican 
war,  five  of  the  Blackhawk  war  and  one  of  the  war  of  18 12,  this  latter 
being  Thomas  Alvey  of  Highland  township,  then  99  years  old.  It  was 
not  until  September,  1886,  twenty-five  years  after  the  opening  of  the 
war  that  the  first  county  encampment  of  Clayton  county  veterans  was 
held  at  Elkader.  Great  preparations  were  made  for  this  event.  The 
camp  ground  was  selected,  tents  erected,  a  stand  built  and  decorated 
and  supplies  enough  for  500  were  procured.  On  the  first  day  there  was 
a  dress  parade,  with  drum  corps  from  McGregor  and  Strawberry  Point. 
The  camp  fire  was  addressed  by  T.  M.  Davidson,  G.  H.  Otis,  Dr. 
Scott  and  Robert  Quigley.  During  the  night  the  soldiers  foraged  and 
had  a  general  good  time.  The  music  of  the  drum  and  fife  awakened 
them  on  the  morning  of  the  second  day,  rations  were  served  and  at  9 
o'clock  there  was  guard  mount.  John  Everall  delivered  the  address 
of  welcome  to  which  Gilbert  Cooley  responded.  Judge  Murdock  also 
spoke  and  the  circumstances  of  Captain  Boardman's  bravery  were 
related.  The  third  day  was  devoted  to  breaking  camp.  The  com- 
missary department  was  under  the  management  of  F.  D.  Bayless, 
Anton  Kramer  and  James  Corlett,  and  hundreds  of  meals  were  served. 
One  hundred  and  seventy-six  veterans  registered  at  this  first  reunion. 
On  the  following  September,  1887,  the  second  reunion  was  held.  T. 
M.  Davidson  welcomed  the  soldiers  and  G.  H.  Otis  responded.  A 
splendid  dinner  was  served.  There  were  three  drum  corps  present 
and  military  discipline  was  observed  to  an  extent.  The  third  reunion, 
in  September,  1888,  was  favored  by  fair  weather  and  there  was  a  large 
attendance.  The  address  of  welcome  was  delivered  by  D.  D.  Murphy 
and  General  Milo  Sherman,  Colonel  J.  K.  Sweeney,  of  Osage,  and 
Judge  C.  T.  Granger  were  honored  guests.  There  was  a  sham  battle 
of  Lookout  Mountain,  which  was  not  only  good  fun  for  the  old  soldiers 
but  a  rare  treat  for  the  vast  crowd  of  spectators.  G.  H.  Otis  was 
elected  president  of  the  association  and  J.  M.  Leach  secretary. 

Quite  the  grandest  affair  was  held  in  August,  1889.  Tents  were 
erected  to  accommodate  2,000.  Besides  the  Clayton  county  veterans, 
soldiers  were  present  from  Postville,  Waukon  and  Decorah.  Presi- 
dent Otis  was  in  charge  and  an  address  of  welcome  was  delivered  by 
Senator  F.  D.  Bayless.  On  the  second  day  there  was  a  fine  program, 
including  a  parade,  speeches  by  George  Cooley,  John  Stahl,  D.  D. 
Murphy,  and  Colonel  J.  K.  Sweeney  and  the  great  sham  battle  of 
Missionary  Ridge,  followed  by  a  spirited  camp  fire.  The  officers 
elected  were  T.  M.  Davidson,  president,  and  J.  M.  Leach,  secretary. 
A  resolution  was  offered  at  this  encampment  endorsing  Gilbert  Cooley 
for  postmaster  at  Strawberry  Point  and  asking  that  the  appointment 
of  H.  H.  Scofield  be  annulled.  This  resolution  had  no  effect,  however, 
and  Mr.  Scofield  received  the  appointment.  The  reunion  of  1890 
was  another  grand  success.  J.  E.  Corlett  gave  the  address  of  welcome, 
which  was  responded  to  by  John  Everall.    In  the  evening,  J.  E.  Webb, 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 188O-I9OO  253 

of  Elkader  was  a  speaker.  On  the  second  day  there  were  addresses  by 
H.  H.  Clark  and  Thomas  Updegraff,  a  parade  and  many  amusements 
and  a  grand  camp  fire,  at  night.  It  was  decided  to  hold  the  next 
encampment  at  McGregor.  G.  H.  Otis  was  elected  president  and  J. 
M.  Leach  secretary. 

Agricultural  Fairs — The  county  fair  continued  at  National  during 
all  this  period  with  varying  fortune  and  with  added  features  from 
time  to  time,  reflecting  the  popular  amusement  craze,  walking 
matches,  base  ball  games  being  succeeded  by  bicycle  races.  The  weather 
man  seemed  to  have  a  personal  grudge  against  National  and  while 
other  fairs  might  enjoy  sunshine  there  was  hardly  one  of  these  twenty 
years  during  which  the  National  fair  did  not  hit  upon  a  rainy  season. 
There  were  many  financial  difficulties,  largely  on  account  of  the 
weather  and  in  spite  of  state  and  county  aid,  it  was  not  often  that 
the  management  was  able  to  pay  premiums  in  full.  Several  attempts 
were  made,  chiefly  on  the  part  of  Monona,  to  change  the  location,  but 
these  were  unsuccessful.  In  1881,  Strawberry  Point  entered  the 
lists  with  a  fair  which  had  a  record  of  success.  It  was  as  fortunate  in 
weather  conditions  as  National  was  unfortunate.  At  the  fair  held  in 
Strawberry  Point,  in  September,  1881,  the  enterprising  Press  issued 
a  daily  paper.  The  complaint  was  made  by  Elkader  papers  that  too 
many  grafting  games  had  been  allowed,  but  this  was  immediately 
denied  by  the  management.  In  1883,  the  dates  of  the  two  fairs  con- 
flicted and  there  was  a  lively  interchange  of  correspondence  between 
the  secretaries.  Both  fairs  persisted  in  holding  their  dates  and  both 
had  successful  exhibitions. 

Norman  Hamilton  was  secretary  of  the  National  fair  for  several 
years,  but  in  1884,  he  committed  suicide,  by  hanging,  and  A.  O. 
Kenyon  was  appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  1885,  the  Elkader 
Journal  ran  a  daily  at  the  National  fair  and  Strawberry  Point 
countered  with  a  baby  show.  One  great  handicap  of  the  National 
fair  was  lack  of  water  supply  and  the  McGregor  Times  complains 
that  there  was  but  one  well,  to  furnish  water  for  a  crowd  of  between 
5,000  and  6,000  together  with  their  horses,  and  that  men  had  to  stand 
in  line  by  the  hour.  It  was  sought  to  remedy  this  by  drilling  a  deep 
well,  but  the  drill  broke  and  it  was  some  years  before  an  adequate 
water  supply  was  obtained.  By  1890,  Strawberry  Point  had  attained 
the  distinction  of  a  Roman  chariot  race.  In  1894,  John  G.  Hemple 
became  secretary  of  the  National  fair,  and  at  the  annual  meeting, 
resolutions  were  passed  concerning  the  death  of  Gregor  McGregor.  In 
1895,  the  fair  was  able  to  pay  its  premiums  in  full,  and  in  1896,  the 
premiums  were  also  paid  and  the  floral  exhibit  and  balloon  ascension 
were  the  features;  but  in  1898  the  county  fair  was  able  to  pay  but  60 
per  cent. 

Elkader  Fair — In  1895,  a  movement  was  inaugurated  for  a  fair 
at  Elkader.  An  option  was  taken  on  seventy-three  acres  owned  by 
John  Friend  and  a  company  was  proposed  with  shares  at  $100  each. 
It  was  not  until  1898,  however,  that  this  took  form  and  the  Elkader 
Fair  Association  was  incorporated  with  a  capital  of  $5,000.  The  fair 
grounds  were  leased  with  option  to  buy  and  Joseph  Lamm  was  presi- 
dent and  Dr.  J.  D.  Bronson  secretary.     In  May,  a  grading  bee  was 


254  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

held  and  drilling  was  successful  and  a  flowing  well  was  struck.  The 
first  fair  at  Elkader  was  held  in  September,  1899,  and  the  news- 
papers were  enthusiastic  as  to  its  success.  The  attendance  was  6,000 
and  the  total  receipts  over  $5,000,  so  that  all  premiums  were  paid  in 
full.    This  gave  the  Elkader  fair  a  splendid  start  for  the  new  century. 

Aside  from  the  celebrations  of  Memorial  Day  and  the  Fourth  of 
July,  other  great  holidays  during  this  period  were  the  annual  gather- 
ings of  the  A.  O.  U.  W.  Lodge.  This  order  had  lodges  in  nearly  every 
town  of  the  county  and  their  annual  meetings  were  large  affairs  with 
parades,  bands,  addresses  and  sports.  This  was,  at  that  time,  the 
most  popular  and  the  largest  order  in  the  county.  The  soldiers 
reunions  continued,  but  with  interruptions,  each  succeeding  year  find- 
ing it  more  difficult  to  get  the  veterans  together.  In  1894,  Company 
D  of  the  Twenty-first  Iowa  held  a  reunion  at  Strawberry  Point,  but 
only  fourteen  of  the  company  were  in  attendance.  The  county  reunion 
at  Elkader  in  this  year  was  a  success,  however.  D.  D.  Murphy  delivered 
the  address  of  welcome  and  George  H.  Otis  replied.  The  president  of 
the  organization  was  F.  D.  Bayless  and  J.  H.  Hill  was  secretary.  In 
1895,  the  veterans  met  at  Camp  Lincoln  at  Elkader  with  John  Ever- 
all  as  president  and  George  Cooley,  secretary.  It  was  at  this  reunion 
that  the  veterans  acknowledged  for  the  first  time  that  ''the  boys  are 
growing  old."  They  refused,  however,  to  take  second  place  and 
declined  an  invitation  to  have  their  reunion  held  in  connection  with 
the  fair.  In  1896,  175  veterans  attended  the  reunion  at  Strawberry 
Point.  D.  G.  Griffith  was  president  and  T.  M.  Davidson  secretary. 
In  1898,  no  reunion  was  held  as  no  grounds  were  obtainable.  There 
was,  however,  a  soldiers'  day  in  connection  with  the  chautauqua  at 
McGregor.  There  is  no  record  of  a  reunion  being  held  in  the  next 
two  years.  An  added  feature  in  the  social  hfe  of  the  county  was  the 
establishment  of  the  Methodist  Assembly  Chautauqua  at  McGregor 
Heights.  Lansing  and  Decorah  competed  with  McGregor  for  the 
location  of  this  assembly,  but  the  beautiful  location  at  McGregor 
won.  A  pavillion  was  erected  in  May,  1898.  and  cottages  were  built. 
This  gave  a  great  impetus  to  gatherings  of  all  kinds  at  McGregor  and 
5,000  people,  400  of  them  from  Elkader  attended  the  celebration  on 
the  following  Fourth  of  July.  In  August,  the  Methodists  held  their 
first  camp  meeting  at  McGregor  Heights  and  the  grounds  were 
formally  dedicated. 

Industrial  Progress — Before  1880,  the  creamery  movement  gained 
ground  in  Clayton  county  and  these  soon  became  established,  not  on>y 
in  the  towns  but  throughout  the  country.  Strawberry  Point  became  a 
great  center  for  the  butter  industry  and  was  known  as  the  "Cream 
City."  This  industry  gave  a  great  impetus  to  Strawberry  Point  and  in 
the  summer  of  1881  the  improvements  in  that  city  amounted  to  $13,000 
and  the  lumber  sales  for  the  three  months,  preceding  August,  amounted 
to  150,000  feet.  The  establishment  of  the  creameries  and  the  profits 
to  the  farmers  encouraged  the  breeding  of  good  stock,  especially  of 
milch  cattle.  In  1895,  the  Strawberry  Point  Press  was  able  to  give  the 
following  very  favorable  statement  of  the  creamery  business  of  the 
county:  "We  doubt  if  any  other  county  in  the  nation  can  equal 
Clayton.     Not  only  in  the  quantity  of  butter  shipped,  but  in  other 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  255 

respects,  Clayton  county  takes  the  lead.  Previous  to  1876,  Iowa  did 
not  stand  very  high  as  a  butter  producing  state,  either  in  quantity  or  in 
quality  of  the  product.  In  that  year  Iowa  leaped  right  to  the  front 
by  being  awarded  the  gold  medal  at  the  World's  Fair  at  Philadelphia 
for  the  best  butter  on  exhibition,  all  states  and  nations  competing. 
That  medal  published  to  the  world  the  possibilities  of  Iowa  as  a  dairy 
state.  It  gave  Iowa  a  reputation  which  is  worth  millions  of  dollars 
to  the  state.  That  butter  was  made  in  Clayton  county.  At  that  time 
Clayton  county  was  not  very  extensively  engaged  in  the  dairy  business, 
but  a  county  that  is  capable  of  producing  the  best  butter  that  is  made 
in  the  nation  is  sure  to  come  to  the  front.  It  has  now  arrived  there, 
shipping  more  than  half  a  million  pounds  more  butter  than  any  other 
county  in  the  state.  The  two  largest  separator  creameries  in  the  state 
are  located  in  Clayton  county,  the  Luana  and  the  Strawberry  Point 
creameries.  The  make  of  butter  of  these  two  creameries  the  past  year 
(1894)  was  851,491  pounds. 

In  1896,  it  is  boasted  that  Strawberry  Point  has  the  largest 
creamery  in  Iowa,  the  Dubuque  Telegraph  making  an  extensive 
write-up  of  the  institution  and  giving  some  interesting  statistics.  It 
states  that  the  milk  receipts  for  the  year  ending  February  i,  1896, 
were  10,731,428  pounds,  that  the  large  stand  pipe  of  the  Dubuque 
water  company  has  a  capacity  of  4(X),ooo  gallons  and  that  it  would 
take  three  and  one-third  such  stand  pipes  to  hold  this  amount  of 
milk.  It  would  take  536  cars  to  carry  the  milk  or  a  solid  train  three 
miles,  112  rods  long.  The  butter  produced  was  462,191  pounds, 
requiring  7,612  tubs  filling  twenty-five  cars.  The  receipts  were  nearly 
$100,000  of  which  the  men  employed  on  milk  routes  received  over 
$10,000.  This  was  a  co-operative  creamery  with  a  capital  of  $9,000. 
The  Dubuque  paper  adds:  "This  creamery  is  probably  the  largest 
separator  creamery  in  the  world.  At  least  none  other  in  the  country 
shows  such  a  volume  of  business."  In  later  years  the  large  creamery 
trusts  crowded  the  local  creameries  to  the  wall.  The  invention  of  the 
hand  separator  made  it  possible  for  the  farmers  to  sell  the  butter 
fat,  retaining  the  skimmed  milk  on  the  farm.  While  the  milk  product 
of  Clayton  county  is  still  one  of  its  main  industries  the  per  cent  of 
butter  manufactured  in  the  county  is  very  small  compared  to  what  it 
was  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century. 

The  Criuiinal  Record — While  Clayton  has  always  been  above  the 
average  in  its  respect  for  law  and  order,  it  would  be  impossible  for  any 
commonwealth  to  exist  without  crime.  It  forms  an  unpleasant  chapter 
in  any  history,  and  concerning  the  ordinary  crimes  which  occur  in 
every  community,  it  is  necessary  to  state  only  that  the  per  cent  of 
criminality  is  as  low  in  this  county  as  its  per  cent  of  literacy  is  high. 
There  were,  however,  some  few  cases  which  were  notorious,  and  which 
must  be  mentioned.  Rechfus  murder — one  of  the  first  of  these,  after 
1880,  was  the  murder  of  Gustavus  Rechfus,  who  was  shot  while  sitting 
in  his  own  home  at  his  farm  at  Pleasant  Ridge.  The  Elkader  Register 
stated  that  Mr.  Rechfus  was  seated  in  his  dining  room,  and  after  eating 
his  supper  was  reading  his  paper  and  sitting  near  the  table  on  which 
the  light  was  standing.  His  brother,  Henry,  and  his  brother's  wife, 
were  in  the  room  when  a  shot  was  fired,  which  killed  him  instantly. 


256  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

The  brother  reported  the  crime  and  an  inquest  was  held  and  $1,500 
reward  was  offered.  Several  arrests  on  suspicion  were  made  at  the 
time.  Rechfus  was  a  man  of  considerable  wealth,  had  loaned  money 
to  many,  and  was  not  an  easy  man  with  his  creditors.  The  theory  first 
held  was  that  some  hard  pressed  creditor  had  committed  the  crime. 
Sheriflf  Place,  Judge  Murdock  and  R.  E.  Price  investigated  the  murder 
and  found  no  clue,  but  they  were  unanimous  in  declaring  that  Henry 
Rechfus,  who  was  accused  of  the  crime  by  many,  was  not  guilty.  In 
May  George  Ellinger  was  arrested  for  the  murder,  but  released  under 
bond  pending  examination.  It  was  reported  that  Ellinger  was  in  debt 
to  Rechfus  and  had  been  hard  pressed  by  him.  At  the  preliminary 
hearing  Ellinger  was  released,  but  Judge  Murdock  and  others  continued 
to  follow  up  the  case,  and  detectives  were  employed.  One  of  them, 
H.  C.  Frese,  announced  in  July  that  he  had  not  given  up  the  case 
and  believed  the  murderer  lived  within  five  miles  of  the  Rechfus  place.  It 
was  not  until  July,  1882,  that  the  case  against  Ellinger  was  dismissed 
for  lack  of  evidence,  and  in  1883,  Henry  Rechfus  was  arrested  for  the 
crime.  There  was  a  lengthy  trial  in  which  the  best  legal  talent  of  the 
county  was  employed;  Henry  was  acquitted  and  the  crime  was  never 
punished. 

Perhaps  one  of  the  most  unique  attempts  at  crime  found  on  the 
criminal  calendar  of  any  county  occurred  at  Millville,  in  August,  1881. 
A  man  by  the  name  of  Lathrop  fought  with  John  James  and  it  was 
charged  that  Lathrop  attempted  to  force  the  fangs  of  a  rattlesnake 
(the  head  of  which  he  held  in  his  hand)  into  the  neck  of  James.  A 
brutal  murder  occurred  at  Guttenberg,  in  1883,  when  in  a  fight  a  man 
by  the  name  of  Kampmeyer  killed  a  man  named  Frasier  with  a  spade. 
While  the  details  of  the  murder  were  bloody,  it  was  proven  that  the 
Frasier  brothers  hunted  Kampmeyer  up  and  assaulted  him,  and  that  he 
acted  in  self-defense.  In  November,  1883,  Michael  Penneton,  of  High- 
land township,  killed  his  twin  brother,  John,  by  stabbing  him  in  the 
breast  with  a  butcher  knife,  and  then  striking  him  on  the  head  with  a 
club.  The  brothers  were  bachelors  and  lived  together.  John  contem- 
plated matrimony,  and  this  so  enraged  his  brother  that  they  quarreled 
bitterly  and  the  tragedy  ensued.  At  the  grave,  Michael,  who  had  been 
permitted  to  attend  the  funeral  in  charge  of  an  officer,  gave  way  to  his 
grief  and  there  was  a  most  heart-rending  scene. 

In  July,  1884,  Ed  Steele  was  killed  mysteriously  at  a  picnic  near 
Edgewood.  Alonzo  Sherman  was  arrested,  but  was  released,  and  later 
Eli  Kewley  and  Pat  Roach  were  arrested  for  the  crime  at  Fort  Dodge. 
Hearing  of  the  return  of  the  prisoners  a  mob  gathered  at  Elkport.  The 
sheriff  learned  of  this,  however,  and  placed  his  prisoners  in  jail  at 
Manchester.  Roach  was  released  but  Kewley  was  held  for  man- 
slaughter. 

Elkins  Murder — Perhaps  the  most  sensational  crime  in  the  history 
of  the  county  occurred  on  Bear  Creek,  four  miles  southeast  of  Little- 
port,  when  Wesley  Elkins,  a  boy  under  twelve  years  of  age,  killed  his 
father,  John  Elkins,  and  his  step-mother,  in  July,  1889.  The  crime 
was  reported  to  the  neighbors  by  the  Elkins  boy,  who  appeared,  carrying 
the  baby  in  his  arms  and  declaring  that  some  unknown  man  had  entered 
the  house  that  night  and  killed  his  father  and  mother.     The  verdict 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  257 

of  the  coroner's  jury  was  that  they  had  come  to  their  death  at  the 
hands  of  some  unknown  person.  The  crime  was  so  infamous  that  the 
governor  offered  a  reward.  A  week  later,  Wesley  Elkins  was  arrested 
and  held  as  a  witness  because  of  his  statement  that  he  was  about  to 
leave  the  county.  His  stories  were  found  to  be  conflicting  and,  on 
August  I,  he  made  a  confession  of  the  crime,  as  follows: 

"My  name  is  John  Wesley  Elkins,  and  I  was  12  years  old  on  the 
I2th  day  of  July.  I  had  wanted  to  leave  home  and  be  at  liberty  to  do 
for  myself  for  a  long  time.  I  once  ran  away  but  father  brought  me 
home.  Two  or  three  days  before  the  loth  of  July  I  began  planning  to 
kill  my  parents,  and  when  I  came  from  milking  on  that  night  I  went  to 
the  old  granary  and  got  the  club  which  was  found,  and  placed  it  on  a 
chair  in  my  room.  About  3  o'clock  in  the  morning  I  got  up  and  went 
out  of  doors  and  looked  all  around,  but  saw  no  one.  I  then  went  into 
the  bed  room  where  father  and  mother  slept  and  saw  they  were  asleep. 
I  went  back  to  my  room  and  took  the  rifle  from  the  wall  where  father 
always  hung  it,  and  went  back  to  their  room  and  put  the  muzzle  within 
about  two  feet  of  father's  face  and  fired.  I  ran  back  to  my  room  and 
threw  the  gun  on  my  bed  and  grabbed  the  club  which  was  on  a  chair 
near  the  door,  ran  back  to  their  door  and  saw  mother  had  jumped  out 
of  bed  upon  the  floor  and  was  stooped  over  as  if  to  light  a  lamp,  when 
I  struck  her  on  the  back  of  the  head  with  the  club ;  she  kind  of  sprawled 
backwards  upon  the  bed,  and  I  struck  her  several  times  more  until  I 
was  sure  she  was  dead,  and  then  father  kind  of  groaned  and  I  struck 
him  once  or  twice  to  be  sure  he  was  dead.  After  I  was  sure  they  were 
dead  I  lit  the  lamp  and  took  it  to  my  room  and  then  went  back  and  took 
the  baby  from  their  bed,  and  took  off  its  bloody  clothes  and  dressed  it 
and  quieted  it.  Then  I  started  to  load  the  rifle,  but  after  getting  the 
powder  into  the  gun  I  could  not  find  the  balls  and  other  things,  and 
thought  I  was  fooling  around  there  too  long,  and  went  to  the  back 
door  and  knocked  the  powder  out  of  the  gun  by  the  doorstep,  and  took 
the  club  and  threw  it  out  into  the  weeds.  I  then  went  and  hitched  up 
the  old  horses  and  took  the  baby  and  drove  down  by  Potters  and  they 
stopped  me." 

Elkins  was  tried,  in  January,  1890,  and  upon  his  confession  was 
found  guilty,  but  owing  to  his  extreme  youth  he  was  sentenced  to  life 
imprisonment  and  capital  punishment  was  not  inflicted.  A  few  years 
later  it  was  reported  that  Elkins  was  a  very  dangerous  prisoner  with 
a  homicidal  tendency,  and  that  he  was  the  terror  of  the  penitentiary. 
It  was  stated,  however,  that  warden  Madden  took  a  great  interest  in  his 
case  and  later  it  was  reported  that  he  had  become  a  model  prisoner. 
In  1898  an  attempt  was  made  to  secure  his  pardon.  This  was  opposed 
by  the  Elkader  Register,  which  reprinted  the  confession  as  given  above. 
This  eft'ort  was  unavailing,  but  other  efforts  were  made  which,  though 
opposed  in  a  strong  speech  by  H.  C.  Bishop,  the  then  senator  from  this 
county,  were  finally  successful  and  Elkins  has  for  many  years  been  at 
liberty.  He  graduated  with  honors  from  the  University  of  Minnesota, 
secured  a  position  with  a  railway  company  and  is  now  occupying  a 
place  of  importance  and  trust,  his  career  fully  justifying  his  pardon. 

Another  crime  which  stirred  the  county  in  1889  was  the  killing  of 
George  Cornell,  an  engineer  on  the  river  division  of  the  Milwaukee 


258  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

railroad,  by  J.  J.  Grinnell  of  McGregor.  Grinnell  was  the  court  reporter 
of  the  county,  and  was  well  known  and  well  liked.  Cornell  and  Grin- 
nell's  wife  maintained  illicit  relations  for  some  time,  and  this  became 
so  open  and  flagrant  as  to  become  notorious.  Grinnell  finally  became 
convinced  of  his  wife's  unfaithfulness  and  shot  and  killed  Cornell  at 
the  lunch  room  at  McGregor.  Grinnell  was  arrested  but  released  on  bail 
and  public  sentiment  was  entirely  in  his  favor.  At  the  trial  it  was 
urged  that  grief  had  driven  Grinnell  temporarily  insane,  and  this  plea, 
together  with  the  unwritten  law,  served  to  acquit  him.  In  November, 
1895,  the  county  was  shocked  by  a  double  tragedy,  when  Hans  Allen 
killed  Will  Cross  at  the  home  of  a  Mrs.  Minchk,  at  McGregor.  Allen 
shot  Cross,  inflicted  a  flesh  wound  upon  Mrs.  Minchk's  little  girl  and 
then  shot  himself  in  the  heart. 

In  1896  Sheriff  Benton  received  great  credit  for  the  capture  of 
George  Luscher,  who  killed  August  Heiden,  Jr.,  in  Cox  Creek  on  June 
9,  1895.  Luscher  escaped  at  the  time,  was  traced  to  Missouri  and 
captured  nine  months  after  the  commission  of  the  crime.  This  com- 
pletes the  list  of  the  sensational  crimes  during  this  period  of  twenty 
years,  and  shows  that  the  county  was  not  criminally  inclined. 

Jail  Deliveries — During  this  period  there  were  three  more  or  less 
successful  attempts  at  jail  delivery.  In  1881  five  prisoners  made  a 
sudden  attack  on  jailer  John  Jack.  Jack  was  overpowered  and  his 
wife  was  knocked  down.  Four  of  the  prisoners  escaped,  but  two  were 
quickly  recaptured.  In  1886  John  Blake,  confined  to  the  county  jail, 
contrived  to  make  wooden  keys  to  fit  the  locks  and  by  this  means 
eflfected  his  escape  and  there  is  no  record  that  he  was  recaptured. 
Blake  left  behind  him  a  note  for  the  sheriff  which  must  be  one  of  the 
most  unique  bits  of  criminal  literature.  He  said  in  part:  "Mr.  Berman, 
Esq.  Dear  Sir: — You  will,  no  doubt,  be  a  little  surprised  to  find  me 
gone,  but  I  hope  you  will  not  think  hard  of  me  for  this  rash  act  for 
I  have  thought  the  matter  over  and  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that  I 
can  take  care  of  myself.  I  do  wish  it  was  some  other  man  that  I  was 
leaving  instead  of  you,  but  it  is  a  ground  hog  case.  I  must  go  for  I 
have  business  to  attend  to.  Hoping  I  will  meet  you  some  day,  but 
when  you  are  out  of  office,  I  bid  you  good-bye  with  my  best  wishes. 
J.  W.  B."  Isaac  Thompson  and  Will  Sargent  were  arrested  for  assist- 
ing in  this  escape,  but  Blake  was  not  recaptured.  Again,  in  1894,  a 
prisoner  named  Carter,  held  at  the  county  jail  for  robbery,  beat  Lee 
Cook,  a  son  of  Sheriff  Cook,  over  the  head  with  a  club  and  made  his 
escape. 

Growth  of  Towns — Turning  from  these  darker  pages  there  are 
found  many  evidences  of  increasing  prosperity  in  all  the  towns  of  the 
county.  In  1880  Garnavillo  reports  much  building  and  boasts  of  a  new 
cigar  factory,  and  a  new  store,  creamery,  public  library  and  brewery. 
An  item  worthy  of  note  concerning  Garnavillo  is  that  in  1880  a  pipe 
organ  was  completed  for  the  Lutheran  church.  This  organ  was  made 
by  L.  Keller,  of  Guttenberg,  and  required  two  years  of  labor  by  him- 
self and  son.  The  organ  was  13  feet  wide,  15  feet  deep  and  17  feet 
high,  and  contained  1,060  pipes,  the  longest  being  16  feet.  Mr.  Keller 
learned  his  trade  in  Germany,  and  this  was  one  of  the  very  few  pipe 
organs  ever  constructed  in  the  state  of  Iowa.     In  1884  the  Garnavillo 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  259 

creamery  burned,  but  it  was  soon  rebuilt.  During  this  period  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  establish  a  newspaper  at  Garnavillo,  but  this  venture 
failed  and  it  became  a  department  of  the  Elkader  Register.  Garna- 
villo continued  to  develop  keeping  pace  with  the  rich  agricultural  dis- 
trict round  about  it.  Of  the  county  in  general  the  Elkader  Register 
says,  in  1886,  "The  farmers  are  doing  better.  Large  barns  are  building 
and  the  towns  are  full  of  business.  In  Elkader  every  house  is  occu- 
pied and  from  McGregor,  Strawberry  Point,  Volga  and  all  the  other 
towns  come  none  but  good  reports."  Land  was  beginning  to  rise  in 
value,  but  in  1881  a  farm  of  142  acres  near  the  Colony  with  improve- 
ments said  to  have  been  worth  $1,600,  sold  for  $2,300.  In  188 1  Clay- 
ton was  the  tenth  county  in  the  state,  in  point  of  school  population,  the 
school  census  showing  10,961  of  school  age  and  the  county  receiving 
$2,192.20  from  the  state.  Guttenberg  was  one  of  the  most  conservative 
towns  of  the  county,  but  it  made  continued  progress.  In  1882  the 
citizens  of  this  town  interpreted  a  ruling  that  German  might  be  taught 
in  the  schools,  to  permit  of  instruction  in  all  branches  in  the  German 
language,  and  decided  to  have  the  schools  taught  one-half  of  the  week 
in  English  and  the  other  half  in  German.  This  program  was  soon 
blocked,  however,  by  a  ruling  of  the  state  superintendent.  In  1883  Gut- 
tenberg suffered  a  severe  loss  when  the  flouring  mill  owned  by  C.  F. 
Weise,  which  had  just  been  fitted  with  new  improvements,  was  burned 
with  a  loss  of  $30,000.  Telephone  communication  between  the  towns 
of  the  county  was  established  in  the  80s,  first  at  McGregor,  then  at 
Elkader  and,  in  1885,  it  was  extended  to  National,  Garnavillo  and  Clay- 
ton. That  Guttenberg  was  continually  striving  for  betterment  is  shown 
by  the  establishment  of  an  excelsior  factory  in  1892.  This  was  pro- 
moted by  the  citizens  and,  in  March  of  that  year,  the  city  of  Guttenberg 
voted  a  donation  of  $5,000  to  this  enterprise.  The  depot  at  Guttenberg 
was  destroyed  by  fire,  in  July,  1893,  the  wife  and  child  of  the  agent 
narrowly  escaping.  September,  1893,  saw  the  beginning  of  the  Gutten- 
berg system  of  water  works  and  2,000  feet  of  six-inch  water  mains 
were  laid.  The  year  following  Guttenberg  voted  $18,000  for  its  water 
works  system.  This  was  shortly  after  the  disastrous  fire  when  Du- 
buque was  called  on  for  aid  and  the  fire  engine  from  that  city  reached 
Guttenberg  in  55  minutes.  The  Guttenberg  Press  was  established  in 
1897,  the  town  having  been  without  a  newspaper  for  some  time. 

It  will  be  impossible  within  the  limits  of  this  history  to  give  in 
detail  all  the  story  of  the  growth  and  changes  in  the  various  towns. 
Some  of  the  important  facts,  however,  stand  out.  In  1881,  the  busi- 
ness section  of  Volga  was  moved  from  its  location  on  the  hill  to  the 
immediate  vicinity  of  the  depot.  Clayton,  in  1882,  reports  a  high  tide 
of  business,  $10,000  having  been  paid  out  for  hogs  in  a  single  day.  In 
1887,  the  flour  mill  at  Mederville,  built  in  1867,  was  totally  destroyed 
by  fire  involving  a  great  loss  to  that  community,  and  in  1889, 
A.  C.  Tiede  &  Co.  erected  a  fine  new  mill  at  Elkport,  taking  the  place 
of  the  old  Elk  Valley  mill  erected  in  1855.  This  was  reported  as  being 
thoroughly  modern  and  one  of  the  best  mills  in  the  country  and  the 
"Diamond  T"  became  a  noted  brand  of  flour.  The  capacity  was  100 
barrels  per  day  and  the  new  mill  began  operation,  August  4,  1890.  The 
County  Horticultural  Society  was  founded  in  1892,  with  Samuel  Mur- 


26o  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

dock  president  and  T.  M.  Davidson  secretary.  J.  O.  Crosby  had  been 
appointed  commissioner  to  the  World's  Fair  and  his  efforts  to  secure 
an  exhibit  had  created  considerable  interest  in  horticultural  lines.  The 
society  started  with  thirty-six  members  and  the  first  permanent  officers 
were  O.  A.  Kenyon,  president,  and  J.  E.  Corlett,  secretary.  Monona 
enjoyed  exceptional  growth  and  in  1892,  it  arose  to  the  dignity  of  a 
newspaper  of  its  own.  George  H.  Otis,  the  veteran  newspaper  man, 
who  established  the  Elkader  Register  and  who  was  later  editor  of  the 
McGregor  News,  founding  the  Monona  Leader  on  May  26, 1892.  That 
June  witnessed  the  first  commencement  exercises  of  the  Monona 
schools  and  in  August  the  city  took  steps  looking  to  incorporation. 
At  this  time  Monona  had  numerous  business  houses,  three  churches 
and  a  school  of  four  rooms  with  Prof.  J.  Clark  as  principal.  Volga 
also  had  a  newspaper,  the  Vindicator,  established  in  November,  1895, 
with  Mr.  Dowe  as  editor,  but  in  the  April  following  there  was  a  fire 
which  destroyed  three  of  the  principal  stores  and  in  which  the  Vin- 
dicator office  was  entirely  consumed. 

McGregor  persevered  during  these  years,  firmly  resolved,  if  it 
could  not  be  a  second  Chicago,  that  at  least  it  could  be  a  thriving  and 
enterprising  little  city.  In  1881,  the  project  was  started  for  the  new 
hotel  to  cost  $30,cxx)  and  it  was  said  that  the  transient  hotel  busi- 
ness at  that  time  amounted  to  $200  a  day.  The  building  of  the  hotel 
was  the  occasion  for  much  controversy  as  to  the  location.  The  busi- 
ness men's  association  was  revived  and  interest  was  taken,  particularly 
on  the  good  roads  question.  In  order  to  get  away  from  any  confusion 
in  names  it  was  suggested  that  the  name  of  North  McGregor  be 
changed  to  Mendon.  In  February,  1882,  McGregor  lost  one  of  its 
prominent  citizens  when  John  T.  Stoneman  moved  to  Cedar  Rapids. 
McGregor  staggered  under  a  heavy  load  of  debt  and  in  1883,  a  settle- 
ment was  made  with  its  creditors,  the  city  wiping  out  its  old  indebted- 
ness by  the  issue  of  bonds  for  $40,000  running  two  years  and  bearing 
5  per  cent  interest.  The  city  had  its  traditional  bad  luck  with  fires 
and,  in  August,  1883,  business  properties  of  $50,000  were  wiped  out, 
with  but  $26,000  of  insurance.  In  February,  1886,  a  fearful  tragedy 
occurred  five  miles  from  McGregor  when  the  log  home  occupied  by 
Mr.  Cooley  and  his  family  of  five  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  the  entire 
family  burned  to  death.  In  May,  1891,  a  meeting  was  held  at 
McGregor  to  secure  a  knitting  factory  and  Thomas  Updegraff  and  J. 
M.  Gilchrist  were  appointed  as  a  committee  to  visit  Chicago  to  secure 
the  enterprise  and  the  same  week  it  is  announced  that  the  Hofer 
brothers  have  sold  the  McGregor  News  to  J.  F.  Widman.  McGregor 
was  one  of  the  first  cities  of  northeastern  Iowa  to  have  an  electric  light 
plant  and  this  important  addition  to  the  town  was  completed  in  1895. 
In  1897,  an  election  was  held  relative  to  the  establishment  of  water 
works.  This  was  carried  by  a  vote  of  158  to  72,  and,  as  a  result,  the 
council  proceeded  to  act,  appointing  a  committee  to  investigate,  with 
Charles  F.  Lowethe  as  engineer  and,  in  April,  $15,000  bonds  were 
voted  for  water  works  purposes;  one  argument  in  favor  of  the  bond 
issue  being  the  fire,  in  March,  when  the  Wood  drug  store  and  several 
other  business  houses  were  destroyed  and  Mrs.  Wood  and  her  baby 
were  barely  rescued  from  the  burning  building.    In  1898,  there  was  a 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD — 1880-I9OO  26I 

movement  for  the  improvement  of  McGregor  Heights  and  in  the  same 
year  the  Bergman  Bros,  erected  a  fine  new  opera  house, 

Elkader  also  had  its  ups  and  downs  although  as  a  whole  the  village 
was  highly  prosperous.  In  1880,  Elkader  was  without  a  railroad. 
The  Iowa  Eastern  still  extended  a  feeble  finger  from  Beulah,  but  it 
was  broken  and  bankrupt  and  well  night  hopeless.  Gov.  Larrabee  had 
become  largely  interested  in  the  road  and  it  was  predicted  that  it  would 
be  rebuilt  into  Elkader  the  coming  season.  The  Milwaukee  was  con- 
solidating all  the  lines  of  northeastern  Iowa  under  its  control  and  this 
was  exceedingly  unpopular,  as  it  was  felt  that  there  would  be  no  com- 
petition. This  was  one  of  the  reasons  why  Elkader  was  exceedingly 
anxious  to  find  a  direct  outlet  to  Dubuque  and,  in  October,  1880,  a 
meeting  was  held,  addressed  by  Judge  Murdock,  R.  E.  Price,  F.  D. 
Payless  and  others,  and  $20,000  was  offered  for  a  broad  gauge  road 
connecting  with  Dubuque.  In  December  of  the  same  year  the  Iowa 
Eastern  served  notice  that  it  had  suspended  business  until  further 
notice  and  that  all  freight  must  be  brought  from  Beulah  by  team.  This 
was  while  negotiations  were  pending  between  Judge  Williams  and  the 
Milwaukee  and  it  was  later  announced  that  the  officials  had  inspected 
the  line  and  that  shipments  would  continue  until  all  stock  already  pur- 
chased was  shipped,  when  the  road  would  again  suspend.  This 
calamity  was  averted,  however ;  the  suspension  lasting  but  a  few  days. 
By  spring,  1881,  the  road  was  out  of  commission.  The  only  engine 
was  badly  damaged  and  the  work  of  repair  was  very  slow.  The  old-time 
stage  was  again  used  and  the  merchants  had  great  difficulty  in  getting 
their  freight.  Joe  Lamm  performed  prodigies  by  loading  the  freight 
onto  the  cars,  pushing  them  up  the  grade  and  letting  them  go  down  by 
gravity.  In  this  way  he  managed  to  clear  the  accumulated  freight  at 
Beulah.  Elkader's  complaints  were  loud  and  long.  The  city  had 
donated  a  mile  of  track  and  a  depot  which  was  rotting  from  unuse. 
The  engine  had  been  useless  for  six  months,  the  angry  citizens  talked 
of  a  line  to  Elkport  and  urged  the  Northwestern  to  build  a  line  from 
Strawberry  Point  to  Elkader.  A  ray  of  hope  came  in  May,  when  it 
was  given  out  that  surveys  were  being  made  for  the  Larrabee  inter- 
ests, from  Beulah  to  Manchester,  via  Elkader.  Still  later  it  was 
reported  that  the  McGregor  and  Des  Moines  Railroad,  with  William 
Larrabee  as  president,  had  absorbed  the  Iowa  Eastern,  would  build 
from  Elkader  to  Des  Moines  and  that  the  Northwestern  was  interested 
in  the  movement.  It  was  not  until  August,  1881,  that  trains  again  ran 
on  the  Iowa  Eastern  and  were  connected  by  Lamm's  bus  with  Elkader, 
A  new  passenger  coach  was  added,  however.  In  November  of  that 
year  the  sale  of  the  Iowa  Eastern  was  rumored,  and  later  confirmed, 
but  the  transfer  did  not  take  place  until  March  31,  1882.  Work  on 
changing  to  a  broad  gauge  began  in  May  and  by  July  the  standard 
gauge  was  built  as  far  as  Stulta. 

In  the  meantime  Elkader  became  interested  in  "The  Great  Diago- 
nal Route."  This  was  to  extend  from  McGregor  to  Des  Moines  via 
Waterloo  and  Marshaltown.  The  newspapers  of  this  period  fairly 
bristle  with  paragraphs  and  editorials  concerning  this  road.  A  5  per 
cent  tax  was  urged  and  a  meeting  was  held  with  certain  of  the  offi- 
cials, who  offered  much  encouragement.     In  September,  1882,  Elkader 


262  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

voted  the  5  per  cent  tax  to  the  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and  Nebraska. 
McGregor  also  was  enthusiastic  for  the  new  railroad,  although  the 
Milwaukee  railway  interests  opposed  it.  The  vote  at  Elkader  was  197 
for,  and  156  against.  This  victory  for  progress  was  duly  celebrated 
with  a  bonfire  and  speeches  by  S.  K.  Adams  and  R.  E.  Price.  Volga, 
however,  defeated  the  project  by  81  to  179.  This  road  failed  to 
materialize  and  Elkader  was  still  without  a  railroad.  The  Milwaukee 
was  finally  persuaded  to  send  an  engineer  to  look  over  the  field  and  the 
citizens  sent  R.  E.  Price  to  Milwaukee  to  expostulate.  He  was  told 
that  the  extension  would  be  made  but  that  it  was  too  late  in  the  fall  to 
begin  operations.  In  fact  it  was  not  until  June,  1884,  that  the  officials 
visited  Elkader  again  and  then  no  action  was  taken.  In  the  meantime 
Elkader  waxed  wrathier  every  succeeding  day  as  it  saw  its  trade 
diverted  to  towns  having  railroad  facilities.  In  May,  1885,  a  meeting 
was  held  at  Price's  office,  the  object  being  to  force  the  Milwaukee  to 
build.  Funds  were  solicited  to  prepare  evidence  and  R.  E.  Price  was 
placed  in  charge.  The  Milwaukee  announced  that  they  would  await 
the  decision  of  a  similar  case  concerning  Northwood  and  the  Elkader 
Register  waxed  so  angry  that  it  urged  merchants  to  ship  their  goods 
via  Elgin  so  as  to  take  business  from  the  Milwaukee.  In  January, 
1886,  the  Iowa  railroad  commission  ordered  a  hearing  on  the  petition 
of  Elkader,  Price  and  Murdock  acting  as  Elkader's  attorneys. 
Another  meeting  was  held  and  money  was  raised  and  the  meeting 
resolved  itself  into  a  permanent  citizen's  association,  with  R.  E.  Price, 
president,  and  G.  A.  Fairfield,  secretary.  The  grounds  of  their  com- 
plaint to  the  railroad  commission  were  that  Elkader  had  donated  a 
mile  of  track  together  with  depot  grounds  and  right  of  way  to  the 
Iowa  Eastern ;  the  consideration  being  that  the  railroad  be  operated 
and  that,  when  the  Milwaukee  purchased  the  road,  it  was  bound  to 
fulfill  this  obligation.  In  March  the  Milwaukee's  officials  announced 
that  they  would  lay  the  track  and  asked  that  the  proceedings  be 
dropped.  Price  and  Murdock  were  thanked  by  the  citizens  for  their 
efforts,  at  a  meeting  which  was  attended  by  the  ladies.  In  June,  work 
began  on  the  Elkader  line  and  September  15,  1886,  was  the  eventful 
day  when  the  first  Milwaukee  train  ran  into  Elkader.  For  more  than 
a  year,  however,  there  was  no  telegraph  line  and  the  business  men 
petitioned  for  it  in  vain.  In  1889,  the  railroad  commission  was 
appealed  to  to  compel  the  Milwaukee  to  maintain  a  station  at  Bismark. 
The  station  had  been  discontinued  and  Niel  and  Campbell  protested,  in 
as  much  as  they  had  donated  land  to  the  Iowa  Eastern  for  station  pur- 
poses and  it  had  been  accepted  as  such.  The  commission  ordered  the 
station  restored. 

In  1897,  the  railroad  commission  visited  Elkader  to  investigate 
the  petition  for  better  service  and  better  accommodation.  The  com- 
mission decided  in  favor  of  Elkader  and  ordered  a  second  train  which 
was  put  on  in  September,  1897.  During  these  years  the  feeling  of 
Elkader  toward  the  railroad  was  decidedly  unfriendly  and  it  is  a  fact 
that  the  Milwaukee  did  nothing  which  was  not  forced  upon  it. 

These  were  not  the  only  discouragements  under  which  Elkader 
labored.  In  1880,  the  Davis  interests  in  the  mill  were  sold  to  Wolf- 
gand  Schmidt  and  the  name  of  the  concern  was  changed  to  W.  Schmidt 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  263 

&  Bros.  This  in  itself  was  a  good  thing  for  the  town,  as  the  new 
owners  showed  added  enterprise,  but,  in  July  of  1881,  the  mill  was 
damaged  by  floods  to  the  extent  of  nearly  $5,000  and  it  was  not 
reopened  for  business  until  December.  In  the  meantime  the  bridge 
was  also  declared  unsafe.  Notwithstanding  all  this  Elkader  was  a 
good  market,  the  hog  buyers  paying  out  $90,000  in  1880  and  the  mill 
buying  40,000  bu.  of  wheat,  although  idle  half  the  year.  The  year 
1881  saw  a  gain  through  the  establishment  of  a  creamery  by  A.  C. 
Tiede  &  Co.  and  the  mills  were  improved  by  the  addition  of  the 
Stevens  roller  process.  A  Dubuque  paper  at  this  time  declares  "the 
court  house  better  than  the  one  at  Dubuque,  the  race  track  good  and 
the  schools  fine,  but  says  the  railroad  is  only  a  slight  improvement  over 
a  one-horse  wheel  barrow  line."  In  1882,  the  mills  were  rebuilt,  using 
what  was  called  the  Hungarian  system.  A  fair  was  held  and  tele- 
phone wires  installed  but  for  some  time  there  were  no  instruments. 
In  August,  1882,  for  the  third  time,  the  mills  were  rebuilt  and  were 
made  equal  to  any  in  this  section  of  the  state.  In  the  social  life  of  the 
town  there  was  much  interest  taken  in  the  Irish  land  league.  Meet- 
ings were  held  at  which  Judge  Murdock  spoke  and  Michael  Uriell  was 
president.  The  interest  was  sustained  for  some  time  and  liberal  con- 
tributions made  to  the  cause.  One  of  the  prominent  business  men  to 
die  in  1881  was  Thomas  Thompson,  who  came  to  Garnavillo  in  1848 
and  who  was  known  throughout  the  county  as  the  agricultural  imple- 
ment man,  having  brought  the  first  threshing  machine  into  the  county 
by  team  from  Chicago,  a  six  weeks'  journey. 

In  1883,  a  Turner  Hall  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $2,500  and,  in  June, 
Boardman  Post  G.  A.  R.  was  instituted  with  19  members  and  T.  M. 
Davidson  as  commander.  The  Register  issued  semi-weekly  during  a 
portion  of  1884,  but  soon  found  it  unsatisfactory  and  returned  to  the 
weekly.  The  founding  of  the  Grand  Army  Post  heightened  interest 
in  memorial  day  and  this,  in  turn,  called  attention  to  the  condition  of 
the  cemetery.  Part  of  the  cemetery  was  open  to  the  public  and  there 
was  no  record  of  burials ;  a  part  belonged  to  Mrs.  Julia  M.  Boardman 
and  a  part  to  Carter  &  Thompson.  An  association  was  suggested  and 
this  was  acted  upon  at  a  meeting  at  which  H.  H.  Bernard  presided, 
when  a  permanent  organization  was  formed  with  Isaac  Havens,  pres- 
ident, and  D.  G.  Griffith,  secretary. 

The  death  of  Gen.  U.  S.  Grant  evoked  the  patriotic  spirit  of  the 
city  and  memorial  services  were  held.  Judge  Murdock  delivering  the 
address.  One  June  morning  of  1886,  the  people  were  scandalized  to 
learn  that  the  post  office  had  been  burglarized  and  more  than  $500 
taken.  Two  men,  Howard  and  Hill,  were  arrested.  Hill  confessed 
and  offered  to  take  the  officers  to  the  place  where  the  plunder  was  hid- 
den. He  started  with  the  officers  but  managed  to  escape  but  he  was 
afterward  arrested  at  Dubuque  and  brought  to  trial.  A  decided 
improvement  was  made,  in  1886,  when  a  board  walk  was  laid  from  the 
east  end  of  the  bridge  along  the  river  to  the  depot.  The  building  of 
the  stone  arch  bridge,  in  1889,  was  of  great  help  to  the  city  both  on 
account  of  the  labor  employed  and  on  account  of  the  permanent 
improvement  which  it  made.  An  event  which  shocked  Elkader  during 
this  year  was  the  death,  by  suicide,  of  A.  Papin,  a  former  teacher  in 


264  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  schools  and  the  editor  of  the  Herald,  which  he  had  previously  sold 
to  Mr.  Reinecke. 

In  1894  an  informal  vote  was  taken  as  to  whether  the  council 
should  take  steps  to  inaugurate  a  lighting  system.  This  was  carried, 
but  nothing  further  was  done  at  the  time.  The  following  year  the 
water  works  question  was  advocated  and  R.  E.  Price  and  A.  Kramer 
were  appointed  to  visit  Guttenberg  and  inspect  the  system  there.  In 
the  meantime  the  citizens  were  urged  to  be  sure  to  carry  a  pail  when 
they  went  to  a  fire.  The  Fayette  Postal  Card,  commenting  on  Elka- 
der  in  1895  says,  "the  Elkader  councilmen  receive  but  one  dollar  per 
year.  A  Union  caucus  is  held,  but  one  ticket  is  named,  there  is  har- 
mony and  the  town  prospers.  Without  taxation  thousands  have  been 
expended  on  the  streets  and  there  is  $1,000  in  the  treasury." 

The  plans  for  the  water  works  were  pushed,  the  cost  estimated  at 
$15,000  and  an  election  was  held  resulting  favorably  for  the  water 
works  system.  Land  was  purchased  of  H.  Mayer  on  the  bluff  for  the 
reservoir  and  the  creamery  lots  near  the  river  were  bought  for  the 
pumping  station.  Before  the  system  was  completed,  however,  Elkader 
had  its  first  big  fire,  the  block  containing  the  Clark  House  being 
destroyed.  This  was  the  old  hotel,  built  in  1850,  and  known  as  the 
Boardman  House,  until  1889,  when  it  was  purchased  by  Clark.  Work 
on  the  water  works  progressed  and  a  fine  well  was  sunk  with  a  flow  of 
25  gallons  per  minute.  The  water  works  were  completed  by  Decem- 
ber, 1896.  Eighteen  ninety-seven  was  a  great  year  for  Elkader.  It 
saw  the  building  of  the  Bayless  Hotel  which  was  at  that  time  one  of 
the  best  hotel  buildings  in  northeastern  Iowa  and  which  is  still  a  credit 
to  the  city.  The  Molumby  Block,  the  largest  business  building  in 
town,  and  the  Congregational  church  were  all  built,  in  1897.  The 
building  of  the  Catholic  church  was  also  commenced  and  the  improve- 
ments for  the  year  totaled  $60,000. 

The  Spanish  War — Clayton  county  did  not  take  a  prominent  part 
in  the  Spanish- American  war,  of  1898.  There  was  no  company  of  the 
national  guard  in  the  county,  but  immediately  upon  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  T.  M.  Davidson  and  John  Everall,  Jr.,  enrolled  90  in  a  military 
company  which  was  ready  to  volunteer.  The  governor  was  notified 
that  these  men  would  be  subject  to  call  and  at  one  time  it  was  thought 
that  they  might  be  needed,  but  with  the  filling  of  the  national  guard 
regiments  it  was  found  that  no  more  troops  would  be  required.  X.  V. 
Coleman,  of  North  Buena  Vista,  enlisted  and  was  one  of  the  few 
Clayton  county  men  to  take  part  in  this  war.  Three  young  men  from 
Guttenberg  enlisted  in  the  regiment  which  was  sent  to  the  Philippines, 
August  Boehn,  Charles  Boehn  and  William  Burnes.  The  only  Clayton 
county  man  who  was  a  victim  of  this  war  was  Thomas  L.  Wilson,  a 
lieutenant  in  Company  I,  of  the  Forty-ninth  Iowa,  who  died  at  Jack- 
sonville, Florida,  with  typhoid  fever  and  was  buried  at  Garnavillo. 

Building  Progress — The  next  year  was,  also,  the  time  of  much 
building  and  the  county  asylum  was  built  in  this  year.  In  1899,  there 
was  a  disastrous  flood  which  carried  away  two-thirds  of  the  dam,  put- 
ting the  mill  out  of  commission  for  eight  months.  In  June,  the  Bor- 
man  corner  was  destroyed  by  fire.  This  was  not  a  bad  thing  for  the 
town,  as  the  lots  were  purchased  by  the  owners  of  the  state  bank  and 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  265 

plans  made  for  the  handsome  structure  which  now  adorns  that  comer. 
In  the  closing  days  of  the  century  St.  Joseph's  church  was  dedicated 
with  appropriate  services  by  Monsignor  Ryan. 

A  matter  which  interested  the  entire  county  occurred  in  1895, 
when  John  Witmer,  of  Des  Moines,  filed  on  160  acres  in  Clayton  town- 
ship as  his  homestead,  paying  the  filing  fee  of  $18  and  claiming  that, 
through  an  error,  the  land  had  never  been  properly  pre-empted.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  was  claimed  that  this  land  was  entered  by  John 
Thompson,  in  1841,  and  transferred  by  him  to  Augustus  Corriell  in 
1842.  It  was  deeded  to  J.  F.  Beerbaum,  in  1857,  and  80  acres  later 
transferred  to  J.  H.  Miller  and  4^4  acres  to  J.  H.  Schoulte.  It  seemed 
that  some  error  was  made  between  the  land  office  at  Des  Moines  and 
the  land  office  at  Washington.  The  property  claimed  by  Witmer  was 
valued  at  $8,000.  It  was  not  until  1898  that  this  case  was  finally 
decided  in  favor  of  the  Clayton  county  owners,  W.  A.  Preston  having 
fought  it  successfully  through  all  the  courts.  Very  naturally  the  sym- 
pathies of  Clayton  county  people  were  with  the  owners  here  and  there 
was  much  rejoicing  when  a  favorable  decision  was  rendered. 

In  1898,  while  some  of  the  boys  were  enlisting  for  the  war,  others 
enlisted  in  the  search  for  gold,  when  the  discoveries  in  Alaska  made  the 
gold  fever  rage  in  the  pulse  of  all  America.  Capt.  Henry  Schadle,  of 
Volga,  led  the  party  of  a  gold  seekers,  a  number  of  the  adventurous 
ones  being  "staked"  by  Clayton  county  capitalists.  None  of  the  party 
found  sudden  wealth  and  several  were  glad  to  wire  for  gold  from 
Clayton  county  to  get  them  safely  back  home. 

THE  LAST  PIONEER 

The  years  played  havoc  with  the  pioneers  and  with  the  old  settlers, 
so  that  with  the  beginning  of  the  new  century  none  of  those  who  first 
settled  the  county  were  living  and  but  few  remained  of  those  who  par- 
ticipated in  its  early  struggles.  Some  men  like  Col.  J.  O.  Crosby  are 
still  with  us,  splendid  reminders  of  an  heroic  age.  Croesus  said, 
"Count  ye  no  man  happy  until  ye  know  the  manner  of  his  death." 
And  so  it  is  well  to  consider  briefly  these  pioneers,  not  only  the  lives 
they  lived  but  the  deaths  they  died.  It  would  be  impossible  even  to 
name  all  who  died  within  the  twenty  years  from  1880  to  1900,  but 
there  are  some  who,  through  their  work  for  the  community,  gained 
such  place  in  the  affections  of  the  people  that  a  history  of  the  county 
would  be  incomplete  without  a  mention  of  them.  Death  was  very  kind 
to  Clayton  county  during  1880  and  for  a  number  of  months  no  death 
among  the  prominent  men  of  the  county  is  recorded  and  it  was  not 
until  December  that  the  county  was  called  upon  to  mourn  the  death  of 
one  of  its  oldest  and  most  prominent  pioneers.  Judge  Eliphalet  Price. 
Judge  Price  was  preeminently  the  historian  of  the  county  and  in  added 
chapters  will  be  found  a  number  of  his  writings  together  with  a  sketch 
of  his  illustrious  career.  Mr.  Price's  death  occurred  December  10, 
1880.  On  December  18,  occurred  the  death  of  a  well  beloved  woman, 
Mrs.  Jane  Davis,  wife  of  Hon.  Timothy  Davis  who  had  been  a  resi- 
dent of  Elkader  since  1867. 

The  death  roll  of  1881  contains  the  following  names: 


266  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Rev.  Henry  Clifford  died  on  June  26.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer 
preachers  of  the  county.  He  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1809  and  came 
to  Clayton  county  in  1843,  removing  to  Reed  township  in  1867.  Six 
of  the  early  settlers  of  the  county  acted  as  his  pallbearers  and  Hon. 
Samuel  Murdock  pronounced  the  eulogy. 

Mr.  John  M.  Eberhardt  died  by  his  own  hand,  in  October,  1881, 
despondency  caused  by  extreme  age  and  infirmity  being  the  cause.  He 
was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  vicinity  of  Littleport.  He  was  born 
in  Bavaria  in  1798,  and  passed  nearly  all  of  his  manhood  days  in  this 
country. 

Joachim  Balka  of  Reed  township  died  November  8,  1881.  He 
was  born  in  Mecklenberg,  in  1834,  and  settled  at  Clayton  Center  in 
1856. 

Henry  L.  Schuette  of  Garnavillo  died  December  16,  1881.  He 
was  born  in  Hanover,  1832,  and  located  in  Garnavillo  in  1850.  He 
was  a  prominent  lodge  man  and  his  funeral  was  in  charge  of  the 
Masonic  order. 

Dr.  H.  H.  Hamilton  died  at  McGregor  March  17,  1882.  He 
came  to  Garnavillo  in  1852  and  later  became  a  resident  of  McGregor. 
He  was  in  the  legislature  from  this  county  in  1868  and,  in  1877,  was 
strongly  urged  by  his  republican  friends  as  a  candidate  for  lieutenant 
governor.  He  was  eminently  successful  as  a  physician  and  was  highly 
respected  as  a  citizen. 

James  F.  Campbell  died  March  20,  1882,  at  Volga  City.  He  set- 
tled in  Sperry  township  in  1853  and  held  many  positions  of  trust  in  the 
township  and  in  the  Methodist  church,  of  which  he  was  an  earnest 
member. 

Ceorge  Taft  died  April  23,  1882,  at  East  Elkport.  He  was  born 
in  Vermont,  in  1807,  and  came  to  Elkport  in  1874.  He  was  the  owner 
of  a  large  stave  factory  and  was  one  of  the  most  public  spirited  citi- 
zens of  Elkport. 

John  Paul  Thoma  died  May  2,  1882,  at  Garnavillo.  He  was  born 
in  Bavaria,  in  1802,  and  located  in  Garnavillo  in  1852.  He  was  one  of 
the  men  who  helped  to  give  Garnavillo  such  a  substantial  growth. 

Carl  Reugnits,  Sr.,  died  August  14,  1882,  at  Monona.  He  was 
born  in  Mecklenberg,  in  1822.  He  moved  to  Qayton  county  in  1864 
and  was  dearly  beloved  by  many  of  his  German  friends.  He  was 
father  of  Charles  Reugnitz,  who  for  many  years  was  the  treasurer  of 
the  county. 

Alonzo  Winkley  died  December  2,  1882.  He  was  born  in  New 
Hampshire,  in  1821,  and  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  that  state. 
He  entered  the  produce  business  in  McGregor  in  1862  and  later  moved 
to  Monona.  He  was  an  ardent  Democrat  and  a  man  highly  respected 
in  his  community. 

Otto  Blaul  died  December  4,  1882,  at  Volga  City.  He  was  born  in 
Bavaria  in  1839,  coming  to  the  United  States  in  1854.  He  was  a  sailor 
and  enlisted  with  the  United  States  Navy.  At  the  outbreak  of  the 
war  he  re-enlisted  and  was  in  a  number  of  naval  engagements,  being 
wounded  by  the  explosion  of  a  torpedo.  He  came  to  Volga  in  1872 
and  was  a  member  of  the  mercantile  firm  of  Meuth  &  Blaul. 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 188O-I9OO  267 

C.  W.  Hagensick  died  February  14,  1883,  at  Huron,  South  Dakota. 
He  was  one  of  the  Hagensick  family  so  widely  known  in  the  county  and 
for  many  years  a  merchant  and  postmaster  at  Clayton  Center.  He 
moved  to  Dakota  about  a  year  before  his  death.  He  was  born  in  Ger- 
many in  1824,  located  in  Garnavillo  in  1852,  engaged  in  the  drug  busi- 
ness and  later  studied  medicine  and  became  a  physician. 

A.  M.  Goddard  died  March  18,  1883,  at  McGregor.  He  was  born 
in  Wisconsin,  1854,  and  located  in  McGregor  in  1861 ;  was  co-founder 
of  the  Elkador  Register  with  C.  H.  Otis,  in  1877,  ^"d  died  after  a  long 
illness. 

Elder  D.  M.  Sterns  died  April  13,  1883.  He  laid  out  the  town  of 
Strawberry  Point,  was  born  in  Vermont  in  1807,  came  to  Strawberry 
Point  in  1856,  was  known  and  loved  throughout  the  south  part  of 
the  county  as  one  of  the  pioneer  preachers. 

Henry  Schneider  died  August  5,  1883.  Born  in  Germany  1810, 
settled  in  Giard  township  in  1847,  residing  there  continuously  and  was 
one  of  the  early  farmers  in  the  north  part  of  the  county. 

Henry  Kellner  was  found  dead  at  the  Schroeder  House,  in  El- 
kader,  October  22,  1883.  He  was  born  in  Prussia  in  1828  and  received 
a  good  education  in  Germany.  After  much  travel  he  came  to  the 
United  States,  in  1856,  and  located  at  Guttenberg,  in  1857,  being  em- 
ployed by  Fleck  &  Bros,  until  1869,  when  he  was  elected  treasurer  of 
Clayton  county  by  the  Republicans.  He  served  ten  years  in  this 
capacity.  After  retiring  from  office  he  made  two  trips  to  Germany. 
The  funeral  was  one  of  the  largest  ever  seen  in  Elkader  and  H.  S. 
Merritt,  Dr.  Hoffbauer  and  S.  K.  Adams  pronounced  eulogies  at  his 
grave. 

James  McGuire  died  December  28,  1883,  in  Clayton  township. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1828  and  arrived  at  Clayton  in  1854.  He 
served  in  various  township  offices  and  was  president  of  the  county 
agricultural  society.    He  was  buried  at  Garnavillo. 

S.  T.  Woodward  died  at  Independence,  December  31,  1883.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont  in  1828  and  settled  in  Farmersburg  township,  in 
1848.  In  1858  he  was  appointed  deputy  county  clerk,  living  at  Gut- 
tenberg, then  the  county  seat.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  i860, 
at  which  time  he  moved  to  Elkader.  He  built  the  handsome  stone 
residence  which  commands  Elkader  from  the  bluffs  on  the  west  side  of 
the  river.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  First  National  Bank 
and  was  a  prominent  factor  in  the  life  of  the  city  for  many  years. 
Resolutions  signed  by  R.  Noble,  S.  Murdock  and  J.  O.  Crosby  were 
passed  by  the  bar  association  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Christopher  Hagensick  died  May  i,  1884.  He  was  born  in 
Bavaria  in  1799.  He  came  to  this  county,  traveling  overland  from 
Ohio,  with  his  friends,  J.  B.  and  Wolfgang  Schmidt,  in  1848,  and 
preempted  land  near  Garnavillo.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Hagen- 
sick family  of  this  county.  He  was  a  successful  farmer  and  a  good 
citizen  and  died  highly  respected  by  all. 

Norman  Hamilton  died  by  his  own  hand,  June  13,  1884.  His 
mental  condition  had  been  bad  for  some  months  previously  and  he  was 
not  responsible  for  the  deed.  He  was  born  in  New  York,  1831,  and 
purchased  land  in  Clayton  county,  in  1854.     He  served  as  deputy  sur- 


268  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

veyor  and  was  one  of  the  first  to  import  fine  stock  into  the  county.  He 
was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  agricultural  society,  was  its  first  secre- 
tary and  was  secretary  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Peter  Karherg  died  at  Lincoln,  Nebraska,  July  2,  1884,  as  a  result 
of  an  accident.  He  was  a  German  by  birth  and  came  to  Clayton 
county  at  an  early  date.  He  enlisted  from  this  county  and  was  after- 
wards commissioned  as  captain  and  organized  the  Fifty-First  U.  S. 
Colored  Infantry,  in  Louisiana.  He  was  best  known  as  an  editor  and 
was  connected  with  German  journalism  during  his  later  days  and  at 
the  time  of  his  death  was  editor  of  the  Staats  Anzeiger  of  Lincoln, 
Nebraska. 

John  Downie  died  September  21,  1884,  at  Pony  Hollow.  He  was 
of  Scotch  descent  and  was  born  in  Canada,  1823,  and  moved  with  his 
parents  to  Clayton  county  in  1838,  settling  in  Boardman  township. 
Both  he  and  his  father  were  prominent  in  the  life  of  the  county. 

Thomas  Casey  died  at  Cox  Creek  November  22,  1884.  He  was 
born  in  Ireland,  in  1818,  and  moved  to  Clayton  county  in  1854.  He 
was  the  owner  of  a  fine  farm  of  320  acres.  He  was  an  ardent  demo- 
crat and  it  was  his  anxiety  to  get  the  news  of  the  exciting  election  of 
1884,  which  caused  him  to  drive  to  Elkader,  contracting  a  severe  cold 
which  caused  his  death. 

Joseph  B.  Quigley  died  November  19,  1884.  He  was  one  of  the 
very  first  settlers  of  this  county,  establishing  himself  near  Millville  in 
1836.  He  was  a  man  of  great  intelligence  and  mechanical  ability,  and 
was  the  father  of  a  distinguished  family,  his  son  being  the  present  sen- 
ator from  this  county.  He  resided  in  Highland  township  and  he  was 
a  prominent  figure  in  the  county  for  many  years. 

Ambrose  P.  Cook  died  September  4,  1884,  from  heart  disease.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont,  1808,  and  located  in  Highland,  in  1885.  He 
served  as  the  justice  of  the  peace  and  as  a  postmaster  and  moved  to 
Elkader  in  1869. 

Thomas  Flaherty  died  at  Elkport,  December  3,  1884.  He  was 
born  in  Ireland,  1808,  and  moved  to  East  Elkport  in  1855.  He  was 
known  and  loved  as  "Uncle  Tom"  and  left  a  host  of  friends  in  his 
community. 

vS".  K.  Adams  died  at  Independence,  January  17,  1885.  He  was  a 
young  man,  having  been  born  in  Virginia  in  1850.  He  came  with  his 
parents  to  Farmersburg  in  1856.  He  taught  in  the  district  schools  and 
studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1871.  He  was  deputy 
school  superintendent  under  John  Everall.  He  was  a  brilliant  young 
lawyer  and  was  prominent  in  democratic  politics,  stumping  the  county 
during  several  campaigns.  He  was  married  in  October,  1884,  and 
soon  after  was  taken  with  an  illness  which  developed  insanity.  He 
was  taken  to  the  hospital  at  Independence  and  there  died.  He  was 
recognized  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  young  men  of  Elkader,  and  his 
career  would  have  been  one  of  prominence  but  for  his  untimely  death. 

S.  H.  Oathout  died,  February  8,  1885,  in  Monona  township.  He 
was  born  in  New  York,  in  1809,  and  located  in  Monona  township  in 
1855.  He  was  the  father  of  a  numerous  family  which  was  prominent 
in  the  county,  his  son,  O.  D.  Oathout,  being  county  superintendent  at 
the  time  of  his  father's  death. 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  269 

James  Tapper  died  February  25,  1885.  He  was  born  in  England, 
in  1810,  and  came  to  America  in  1828,  engaging  first  in  the  fisheries  of 
Newfoundland.  He  next  went  to  Cuba,  where  he  was  engaged  in 
mining.  In  1840,  he  came  to  McGregors  Landing  and  was  employed 
by  the  government  at  Fort  Atkinson.  He  pre-empted  land  in  Giard 
township  and  in  1865  represented  that  township  on  the  board  of  super- 
visors, serving  for  several  years.  He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of 
Giard  township.  He  was  noted  for  his  honesty  and  fairness  and  his 
adventurous  life  made  him  a  most  agreeable  companion. 

Martin  Brazil  died,  March  11,  1885,  from  accidental  poisoning. 
He  was  born  in  Ireland,  in  1801,  and  located  in  Clayton  in  1841,  and 
was  one  of  the  pioneer  members  of  the  Catholic  church  of  the  county. 

P.  C.  Young  died  at  Rock  Rapids  March  30,  1885.  He  was  a 
resident  of  Elkader  for  a  number  of  years  and  was  very  prominent 
both  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  politician. 

William  H.  Stephens  died  at  Garnavillo  July  29,  1885.  He  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1802  and  was  Indian  agent  at  Prairie  du 
Chien,  in  1838.  He  was  a  partner  with  John  Deere  at  Grand  de  Tour, 
Wisconsin,  and  was  connected  with  the  manufacture  of  the  first  Deere 
plows.  He  located  in  Garnavillo  in  1856.  He  was  a  man  of  high 
character  and  held  many  position  of  trust  in  his  township. 

W.  A.  Skinner  died  at  Elkader,  August  9,  1885.  He  was  born 
in  Virginia  in  1821  and  came  to  Iowa  in  1843  ^^^  was  employed  as  a 
printer  on  the  Miner's  Express  at  Dubuque,  one  of  Iowa's  first  news- 
papers. He  moved  to  Elkader  in  1866  and  for  ten  years  was  justice 
of  the  peace  for  Boardman  township. 

S.  N.  Bixhy  died  May  13,  1886.  He  was  born  in  Vermont  in 
1824  and  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1847.  He  was  principal  of  the 
Elkader  school  from  1873  to  1876.  He  then  studied  medicine  and 
located  at  Strawberry  Point,  where  he  was  a  successful  and  highly 
popular  physician  and  a  prominent  man  in  the  community. 

Luther  Patch  died,  July  15,  1886,  at  Elkader.  He  came  to  Clay- 
ton county,  in  1842,  and  for  a  time  operated  the  lower  ferry  at  Mc- 
Gregor. He  was  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  county  in  an  early 
day.  In  1876,  he  moved  to  Elkader,  where  he  resided  with  his  daugh- 
ter, Mrs.  Samuel  Murdock. 

John  Garber  died.  August  26,  1886.  He  was  born  in  Virginia  in 
1818,  and  located  in  Elkport  in  1848.  He  at  once  became  prominent 
in  the  politics  of  the  county  and  in  1852  was  elected  to  the  legislature. 
He  served  as  county  judge  in  i860,  being  the  last  to  hold  that  position. 
He  was  elected  sheriff  and,  in  1866,  he  again  served  in  the  legislature. 
He  was  prominent  in  republican  circles,  was  chairman  of  the  county 
committee  and  was  a  strong  Union  man.  Later  in  life  he  met  with 
financial  reverses,  his  large  warehouse  at  Elkport  burning  down.  His 
brother  Martin  was  county  auditor  and  state  senator  in  1882  and  his 
brother  Silas  was  governor  of  Nebraska.  In  many  ways  he  was  one 
of  the  strongest  and  best  men  that  Clayton  county  produced. 

F.  IV.  Sherman  died,  January  i,  1887,  born  in  New  York  in  1806. 
He  located  in  Monona,  in  1853,  and  the  last  years  of  his  life  were 
spent  in  Elkader.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Monona.  His 
death  was  sudden,  following  a  stroke  of  paralysis. 


270  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

W.  J.  Gilchrist  died  at  McGregor,  April  7,  1887.  He  located  in 
McGregor  in  1857  and  was  connected  with  the  organization  of  the 
First  National  Bank.  He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1863, 
was  a  republican  in  politics  and  was  one  of  the  strong  Union  men  of 
the  county. 

B.  F.  Fox  died  at  McGregor,  April  21,  1887.  His  death  came 
without  warning  and  was  caused  by  heart  disease.  He  lived  in  Garna- 
villo  from  the  early  days  until  188 1,  when  he  removed  to  McGregor. 
In  1857,  he  was  recorder  of  Clayton  county  and  he  was  prominent  in 
the  politics  of  that  period,  being  all  his  life  a  member  of  the  democratic 
party. 

R.  C.  Place  died  May  19,  at  Elkader.  He  was  born  in  Vermont 
in  1835  and  located  in  Elkader  in  1858.  His  brother,  L.  H.  Place, 
was  sheriff  of  the  county  and  he  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors from  1864  to  1871.  He  was  active  in  securing  the  building  of 
the  court  house  and  was  a  leader  in  all  the  affairs  of  Elkader,  He 
was  a  merchant  and  stock  buyer  and  a  man  of  great  popularity. 

Rev.  Father  J.  J.  Quigley  died  September  10,  1887.  He  was 
pastor  of  the  Catholic  church  of  Elkader  for  twenty  years  and  was 
active  in  building  up  the  fine  property  of  that  church.  A  more  ex- 
tended mention  will  be  found  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  church. 

Ira)  P.  Winter  died,  May  14,  1888,  near  Monona.  He  was  born 
in  New  York,  1818,  and  settled  in  Monona  in  1852.  He  was  justice 
of  the  peace  and  assessor  for  many  years,  and  was  known  throughout 
the  county  as  "Squire  Winter."  He  served  as  deputy  county  treas- 
urer and  was  a  man  of  great  information  and  much  native  ability  and 
was  one  of  the  most  popular  men  in  this  county. 

George  Brinkhaus  died,  May  23,  1888,  at  Mederville.  He  was 
bom  in  Cox  Creek  township,  1855,  and  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business  in  the  firm  of  Brinkhaus  Bros,  at  Mederville  for  many  years. 

Fielding  Snedigar  died  in  Elkader,  November  21,  1888.  He  was 
born  in  Illinois,  in  1822,  and  came  to  Clayton  county  in  185 1.  In 
1 86 1,  he  became  a  general  merchant  in  Elkader  and  in  1864  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  C.  F.  Stearns.  He  was  postmaster  of  Elkader 
from  1861  to  1868  and  was  one  of  the  strongest  Union  men  of  the 
county.  He  was  a  man  of  the  highest  integrity  and  was  respected  by 
the  entire  community. 

William  Hunt  died  in  Mallory  township,  February  17,  1889.  He 
was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1817,  and  located  in  Mallory  township 
in  1850,  and  was  one  of  the  leading  men  of  his  community. 

Maurice  Fleck  died  at  Guttenberg,  June  8,  1889.  He  was  born 
in  Germany,  in  1821,  and  came  to  Guttenberg  in  1850.  He  was  a 
prominent  merchant  of  that  city  for  many  years,  the  firm  being  known 
as  Fleck,  Bleidung  &  Co.  But  a  few  months  before  his  death  Mr. 
Fleck  was  forced  to  make  an  assignment  and  financial  troubles  hastened 
his  death.  He  was  known  as  an  honest  and  honorable  man  and  was 
sincerely  mourned  by  many  friends. 

Richard  Everall  died,  April  27,  1890,  at  Farmersburg.  He  was 
born  in  England,  in  1805,  and  came  to  Clayton  county  in  185 1.  He 
was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Congregational  church  at  Farmers- 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD — 1880-I9OO  27 1 

burg  and  was  the  father  of  John  Everall,  one  of  the  most  prominent 
citizens  of  the  county. 

L.  D.  Davis  died  at  Pickwick,  Minnesota,  August  18,  1890.  He 
was  the  son  of  Hon.  Timothy  Davis  and  came  to  Elkader  with  his 
father  in  1846.  He  hved  in  Elkader  for  many  years  and  was  con- 
nected with  the  Elkader  mill.  He  was  noted  for  his  public  spirited- 
ness  and  generosity.  He  met  with  business  reverses  and  died  in  com- 
parative poverty. 

James  M.  Hill  of  St.  Olaf  died,  September  15,  1890.  He  was 
known  throughout  the  county  as  "Yankee  Hill."  He  was  born  in 
New  York,  in  1820,  and  moved  to  Clayton  county  in  1858.  He  was 
widely  known  throughout  the  county  and  his  tavern  at  St.  Olaf  was 
one  of  the  most  popular  places  of  public  entertainment. 

/.  C.  Routtds  died,  February  6,  1892.  He  was  born  in  Massa^ 
chusetts,  in  1818,  and  settled  in  Marion  township  in  1855.  He  helped 
to  organize  the  township  and  was  responsible  for  its  receiving  the 
name  Marion  after  having  first  been  christened  Morasser.  He  was 
prominent  in  democratic  politics  and  was  a  member  of  the  legislature 
in  1873,  and  prior  to  that  time  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  super- 
visors. Although  living  in  a  strong  republican  community  he  never 
failed  to  receive  a  majority  of  votes  from  his  township.  His  record  as 
a  citizen  and  as  an  official  was  above  reproach. 

Edward  Sherman  died,  February  6,  1892,  at  National.  He  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire,  1813,  and  was  a  continuous  resident  of 
Farmersburg  township  from  1847  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Alexander  Falconer  died,  February  9,  1892,  at  Communia.  He 
was  born  in  Scotland,  in  1805,  and  came  to  this  country  in  1833.  He 
served  eleven  years  in  the  army,  being  a  veteran  of  the  Seminole  and 
Mexican  wars.  He  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1844  and  was  a  promi- 
nent farmer  of  Communia. 

Adam  Hofer  died,  February  17,  1892.  He  was  born  in  Baden,  in 
1821,  and  made  Clayton  county  his  home  in  1854.  He  was  the  father 
of  Edward  and  Frank  Hofer,  for  many  years  editors  of  the  McGregor 
News. 

William  F.  Hunt  ting,  president  of  the  Huntting  Elevator  Com- 
pany, of  McGregor,  died  suddenly  of  heart  disease,  April  29,  1892. 
He  was  one  of  the  most  prominent  grain  operators  in  the  northwest 
and  was  a  man  of  large  means,  his  estate  being  estimated  at  $500,000. 
He  was  closely  connected  with  Diamond  Jo  Reynolds  in  his  business 
enterprises,  and  his  death  was  a  distinct  loss  to  the  business  circles  of 
McGregor.  He  was  born  in  Long  Island,  1828,  and  settled  in  Mc- 
Gregor in  1857.  He  was  known  at  all  times  for  his  business  ability 
and  great  public  spirit. 

Rufus  Richardson  died,  May  2,  1892.  He  was  born  in  Vermont, 
1818,  and  located  at  Monona  in  1856,  where  he  ran  the  Egbert  House, 
a  noted  hostelry  of  that  day.  He  lived  in  Wagner  township  until 
1874,  when  he  moved  to  Elkader,  where  he  spent  the  remainder  of 
his  days. 

Dr.  William  Hoffbatier  died,  July  27,  1892.  He  was  born  in  Den- 
mark, attended  the  university  of  Wurzburg,  was  a  revolutionist  and 
was  in  prison.     After  his  release  from  prison  he  pursued  his  studies 


272  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

and  graduated  from  the  University  of  Berlin.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  German  parHament  and  was  so  outspoken  in  his  views  against 
monarchy  that  he  was  forced  to  leave  the  country.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1 85 1,  and  to  Guttenberg  the  same  year,  where  he  resided  until 
1875.  The  remainder  of  his  life  was  passed  in  Guttenberg  and  Du- 
buque. He  was  a  man  of  splendid  education  and  eminent  in  his  pro- 
fession, a  fine  orator  and  a  very  public  spirited  citizen.  His  son-in- 
law,  Alexander  Bleidung,  represented  this  county  in  the  legislature. 

Charles  Schoch,  Sr.,  died  at  Elkader,  November  28,  1892.  He  was 
born  in  Wurtemburg  in  1821,  came  to  America  in  1844,  and  to  Clayton 
county  in  1853,  locating  in  Elk  township,  and  afterward  establishing  a 
blacksmith's  shop  at  Communia.  He  moved  to  Elkader  in  1863.  He 
acquired  a  competency  and  earned  the  esteem  of  all. 

Joseph  Bradshaw  died  in  Sperry  township  June  15,  1893.  He 
was  born  in  Indiana,  1825,  and  settled  in  Clayton  county  in  1849.  He 
was  a  member  of  Company  E,  Ninth  Iowa  Volunteers  and  was  a  man 
highly  prized  by  his  community.  His  funeral,  at  Volga,  was  attended 
by  a  large  concourse. 

John  Larkin  died  July  16,  1893,  at  Elkader.  He  was  born  in 
Illinois,  1840,  and  was  educated  at  Sinsinawa  college,  coming  to  Clay- 
ton county  immediately  after  his  graduation.  He  taught  school  for 
some  time  and  studied  law  under  J.  O.  Crosby  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar.  He  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Patrick  Uriell.  At  Elkader  he 
was  in  partnership  with  Samuel  Murdock  and  he  became  a  lawyer 
of  the  first  rank.  He  was  a  profound  student  and  an  eloquent  orator. 
At  his  funeral  Reuben  Noble,  Thomas  Updegrafif,  S.  Murdock,  D.  D. 
Murphy,  J.  E.  Corlett  and  T.  M.  Davidson  acted  as  pallbearers. 

Fred  Thoma  died,  July  17,  1893,  in  Grand  Meadow  township  by 
his  own  hand.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in  1832  and  located  at  Garna- 
villo  in  1848.  He  removed  to  Grand  Meadow  in  1866.  He  was  in 
good  financial  circumstances  and  no  reason  was  known  why  he  should 
have  ended  his  life. 

/,  M.  Leach,  postmaster  of  Elkader,  died  September  19,  1893.  He 
was  born  in  Massachusetts,  in  1838,  and  came  to  Monona,  in  1857, 
engaging  in  mercantile  business.  In  1862  he  enlisted  in  Company  E, 
Twenty-seventh  Iowa  and  in  1863  was  appointed  quartermaster 
sergeant  of  the  First  West  Tennessee  Infantry.  He  was  mustered  out 
with  the  rank  of  first  lieutenant.  He  returned  to  Monona  in  1867,  and, 
in  1872,  was  deputy  auditor  under  Martin  Garber.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster  of  Elkader  in  1889,  which  position  he  held  at  the  time  of 
his  death. 

H.  F.  W.  Bothmer  died  at  Clayton,  September  23,  1893.  He  was 
born  in  Germany,  1813,  and  settled  at  Clayton  in  1851.  He  was  one 
of  the  pioneer  millers  of  the  county. 

G.  A.  Appleman  died  November  4,  1893,  at  Elkader.  He  was  born 
in  Connecticut  in  181 7.  He  was  a  sailor  and  circumnavigated  the 
globe  and  had  sailed  all  over  the  known  world.  In  1854  he  left  the 
sea  and  settled  at  Garnavillo.  His  wife  was  a  sister  of  Hon.  E.  H.  Wil- 
liams and  his  daughters  were  Mrs.  H.  J.  Grotenwohl  and  Mrs.  Wil- 
liam Larrabee.     He  was  a  man  of  the  kindliest  disposition  and  his 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD — 1880-I9OO  273 

vast  experience,  from  sailor  boy  to  sea  captain,  made  him  a  most 
delightful  companion. 

Rev.  W.  B.  Smith  died  at  Osterdock,  November  13,  1893.  He 
was  born  in  Vermont,  181 1.  He  began  his  career  as  a  preacher  in 
1832.  He  lived  in  Elkader  and  vicinity  for  many  years  and  was  the 
friend  and  counsellor  of  all.  He  served  three  years  in  the  Union 
army  and  during  this  time  his  health  was  greatly  impaired.  He  was  the 
youngest  brother  of  Joseph  Smith,  the  great  Mormon  prophet,  and 
he  was  a  believer  in  his  brother  and  in  the  Mormon  faith.  His  brothers, 
Joseph  and  Hiram  were  shot  at  Nauvoo,  Illinois,  while  he  was  in 
Philadelphia  on  a  mission  for  his  church.  Returning  to  Nauvoo,  he 
found  that  Brigham  Young  had  seized  the  leadership  of  Mormonism 
and  had  announced  the  doctrine  of  polygamy.  Mr.  Smith  refused  to 
accept  this  and  never  affiliated  with  the  polygamist  branch  of  the 
church.  He  was  buried  at  the  church  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints  of 
Osterdock  and  he  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him. 

William  A.  Pen  field,  for  many  years  one  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Volga,  died,  December  2,  1893.  He  was  born  in  New  York,  in  1819, 
and  first  settled  in  Iowa,  in  Sperry  township,  in  1864.  He  established 
a  furniture  and  undertaking  business  in  Volga,  in  1874,  and  held  many 
township  offices  and  was  coroner  of  Clayton  county.  He  was  an  ardent 
Republican  and  was  conspicuous  in  political  and  fraternal  circles.  He 
was  a  man  of  considerable  literary  ability  and  his  writings  appear 
frequently  in  the  newspapers  of  the  county, 

Edward  Dickens  died,  January  17,  1894,  at  McGregor,  He  built 
the  first  log  cabin  in  Clayton  county,  and  he  was  one  of  the  most 
popular  of  the  pioneers.  At  reunions  he  was  a  conspicuous  figure  and 
his  stories  of  the  early  days  delighted  the  people.  His  funeral  was 
attended  by  large  numbers  of  pioneers  from  all  over  the  county  and 
Judge  Murdock  pronounced  a  eulogy  at  his  grave. 

Judge  L.  O.  Hatch  died  at  IMcGregor,  July  19,  1894.  He  was  born 
in  Ohio,  in  1826.  He  had  few  school  advantages  but  was  a  great 
student  and  was  able  to  teach  school  when  but  18  years  of  age.  While 
teaching  he  studied  law  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  in  1849.  ^^^ 
eighteen  months  he  travelled  for  the  American  Anti-slavery  society, 
distributing  literature  and  delivering  addresses  in  opposition  to  slavery, 
at  a  time  when  that  was  a  dangerous  occupation.  He  came  to  Iowa 
in  1853,  taught  school  in  Delaware  county  and,  in  1854,  located  at 
Waukon.  Here  he  practiced  law  until  January  i,  1869,  when  he 
removed  to  McGregor,  forming  a  partnership  with  Reuben  Noble, 
the  firm  being  Noble,  Hatch  &  Frese.  This  partnership  continued 
until  1874,  when  Mr.  Noble  became  judge.  Mr.  Hatch  continued 
to  practice  law  in  McGregor  until  1882,  when  he  was  elected  to  the 
judgeship,  which  position  he  was  filling  at  the  time  of  his  death.  In 
politics  he  was  a  Republican  until  his  later  years,  when  he  became  an 
ardent  Democrat.  He  was  one  of  the  ablest  jurists  this  county  has 
known.  His  death  resulted  from  an  accident  which  occurred  in 
January,  1894.  Going  from  North  McGregor  to  McGregor  he  was 
carried  by  the  station.  He  attempted  to  make  a  short  cut  to  Main 
street  and  fell  off  the  trestle,  a  distance  of  fifteen  feet,  to  the  rocks 
below.  Both  legs  were  broken,  and  from  this  injury  he  never  recovered. 


274  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

His  funeral  was  attended  by  members  of  the  bar  from  every  county 
in  the  district,  and  he  was  universally  mourned.  After  his  death  the 
Milwaukee  railroad  was  sued  for  damages  on  account  of  the  accident, 
but,  after  long  litigation,  the  case  was  decided  against  the  estate. 

Daniel  Broivnson  died,  July  23,  1894,  at  National.  He  was  born 
in  New  York  in  1813,  came  to  Clayton  county,  in  1846,  and  bought  a 
farm  in  Farmersburg  township.  He  was  noted  as  a  breeder  of  fine 
horses  and  live  stock  and  did  much  to  raise  the  standards  of  agriculture 
in  the  county. 

C.  L.  McGonigle  died,  February  12,  1895,  at  Monona.  He  was 
born  in  Pennsylvania,  in  1836,  and  moved,  with  his  parents,  to  Monona, 
in  1847.  He  engaged  in  business  in  Monona  and,  in  1876,  was  elected 
county  recorder  as  a  Democrat.  In  1893,  he  represented  the  county 
faithfully  in  the  legislature.  He  was  a  very  popular  man  and  one  of 
the  leaders  of  democracy. 

Charles  Mentsel  died  at  his  home  in  Cox  Creek  township  March 
18,  1895,  as  the  result  of  an  accident.  His  team  became  unmanageable 
and  he  was  thrown  from  his  buggy,  injuring  his  head.  Mr.  Mentzel 
was  born  in  Saxony,  in  1831.  He  received  a  liberal  education  and 
served  in  the  Saxon  army.  He  came  to  Garnavillo  in  1854,  and,  in 
1859,  bought  his  farm  in  Cox  Creek  township.  Mr.  Mentzel  was 
almost  continuously  in  public  service,  being  a  township  officer,  a  member 
of  the  board  of  supervisors  and  serving  two  terms  in  the  legislature. 
For  many  years  he  was  secretary  of  the  Farmers  Mutual  Insurance 
Company  of  Communia.  His  funeral  was  attended  by  large  numbers 
from  all  over  the  county.  Charles  Reugnitz  delivered  an  address  in 
German  and  John  Everall  spoke  in  English.  Charles  Mentzel  was  a 
typical  German-American  citizen,  loving  his  fatherland  and  cherishing 
its  memories,  but  with  a  stronger  love  for  his  adopted  home  and  a 
greater  pride  in  his  American  citizenship. 

John  Paddelford  died  in  California,  April  4,  1895.  He  was  one 
of  the  old  settlers  of  Sperry  township  and  underwent  all  the  hardships 
incident  to  pioneer  life.  He  located  in  Clayton  county  in  1842.  He 
prospered  in  business  and  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  the  owner  of 
1,540  acres  of  Clayton  county  land.  He  was  known  and  loved  as 
"Uncle  John"  and  he  was  a  prime  favorite  at  all  meetings  of  the 
pioneers.  On  account  of  failing  health  he  moved  to  California  a  few 
years  prior  to  his  death. 

Dr.  Frederic  Andros  died  April  28,  1895,  at  the  home  of  his  daugh- 
ter, at  Minneapolis,  at  the  advanced  age  of  92  years.  He  was  the  first 
regular  physician  to  locate  west  of  the  Mississippi,  and  for  many  years 
a  prominent  figure  in  the  history  of  Clayton  county  and  northern  Iowa, 
being  the  first  clerk  of  the  courts  and  first  recorder  of  the  county.  He 
was  born,  September  14,  1802,  at  Berkley,  Massachusetts,  the  son  of 
Rev.  Thomas  Andros,  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution  and  a  man  noted  for 
his  classical  and  theological  learning.  After  receiving  his  medical 
education.  Dr.  Andros  removed  to  Plymouth,  in  western  New  York, 
where  he  married  Eliza  Bunker,  a  descendant  of  the  original  owner  of 
Bunker  Hill.  Soon  they  removed  to  Paris,  Canada,  where  he,  becom- 
ing mixed  up  in  a  revolutionary  conspiracy  which  was  revealed  by  a 
traitor,  was  obliged  to  make  his  escape  in  the  night.     He  made  his 


IMPROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  275 

way  to  Detroit,  and  was  joined  by  his  wife.    He  was  at  Detroit  just  in 
time  to  assist  in  quelling  an  epidemic  of  the  cholera. 

In  October,  1834,  he  joined  a  party  starting  for  the  lead  mines 
of  Illinois  and  Iowa  and  located  at  Dubuque,  and  was  the  only  physician 
west  of  the  Mississippi  then  legally  entitled  to  practice.  In  1838,  he 
took  up  a  claim  near  Gamavillo,  and  adjoining  Judge  Murdock's  old 
farm,  and  there  his  eldest  son  was  born,  one  of  the  first  children  born 
in  the  township,  fifty-six  years  ago.  In  1843,  the  doctor  was  elected 
to  represent  northern  Iowa  in  the  territorial  legislature.  In  that  body  he 
secured  the  passage  of  a  bill  changing  the  county  seat  from  Guttenburg 
to  Jacksonville,  now  Garnavillo.  In  1846,  he  was  appointed  physician  to 
the  Winnebago  Indians  and  with  them  went  to  Minnesota,  where,  in 
1854,  he  was  elected  to  the  legislature.  Later,  he  returned  to  his 
Garnavillo  home,  where  he  resided  until  1861,  and  then  moved  to 
McGregor.  In  1879,  Mrs.  Andros  died  from  injuries  received  in  a 
railroad  wreck  the  previous  year.  Dr.  Andros  then  moved  to  Mitchell, 
South  Dakota,  where  he  practiced,  but,  in  1899,  he  retired  from  active 
life,  owing  to  the  failure  of  his  eyesight.  No  man  enters  so  intimately 
into  the  lives  of  the  people  as  does  the  family  doctor  and  Dr.  Andros 
was  the  confidential  friend  and  advisor  of  the  whole  county  in  the 
early  days.  Many  a  man  was  indebted  to  him  not  only  for  professional 
services  but  for  friendship  and  counsel.  He  must  be  named  and 
remembered  as  one  of  the  very  foundation  stones  upon  which  the 
civilization  of  Clayton  county  was  built. 

O.  B.  Blanchard  died  May  11,  1895,  at  Edgewood.  He  was  born 
in  New  York  in  1823.  He  was  one  of  the  stage  drivers  in  the  early 
days  in  Pennsylvania  and  in  Wisconsin.  In  1871,  he  visited  his 
brother.  Dr.  L.  Blanchard  at  Yankee  Settlement  and  was  so  impressed 
with  the  possibilities  of  the  country  that  he  remained,  he  and  his 
brother  platting  the  village  of  Edgewood.  He  was  postmaster  foij 
four  years,  following  1885,  was  president  of  the  bank  of  Edgewood 
and  was  one  of  the  strong  financial  factors  of  the  southern  part  of 
the  county. 

William  P.  Eno  died  suddenly  at  his  home  in  Wagner  township, 
July  15,  1895.  He  was  born  in  Canada  in  1828.  He  was  employed 
as  a  travelling  salesman  until  1854,  when  he  purchased  land  in  Wagner 
township  and  made  this  county  his  home.  He  increased  his  land 
holdings  until  he  owned  more  than  1,500  acres.  He  was  postmaster 
at  Wagner,  held  many  township  offices  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of 
the  Clayton  County  Fire  Insurance  Company.  He  was  radical  in 
politics  and  was  a  leader  in  the  Greenback  and  Peoples  party  move- 
ment.    He  was  known  as  the  "Sage  of  Wagner." 

G.  Henry  Frese,  partner  in  law  business  with  Noble  and  Hatch, 
at  McGregor,  died  August  17,  1895.  He  was  born  in  Germany  in 
1841,  locating  in  Guttenberg  in  1855  and  moved  to  McGregor  in  1861, 
where  he  entered  the  office  of  Noble  and  Drummond  as  a  clerk.  He 
remained  as  an  employe  until  1869,  his  health  failed  and  he  was  forced 
to  give  up  office  work  and  he  acted  as  deputy  sheriff  for  some  time. 
His  health  being  somewhat  restored  he  again  entered  the  office  with 
Judge  Noble,  but  the  confinement  of  office  work  soon  ended  his  life. 


276  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

He  was  a  brilliant  attorney  and  had  his  health  permitted  would  have 
been  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  bar  of  the  county. 

August  Borman  died  November  25,  1895,  at  Davenport  where  he 
had  gone  to  consult  a  specialist.  He  was  born  in  Hanover,  1840,  and 
came  with  his  parents  to  Boardman  township  in  1852.  In  1882  he 
was  elected  sheriff  and  served  two  terms.  He  was  noted  for  his 
charity  and  good  heartedness  and  had  a  wide  circle  of  friends. 

Victor  Baleff  died  January  13,  1896,  at  Strawberry  Point.  He 
was  born  in  Wurtemberg,  1843,  ^^^  came  to  Clayton  county,  in  1856. 
He  enlisted  in  Company  H.  Sixteenth  Iowa,  and  was  with  Sherman  on 
the  march  to  the  sea.  He  was  a  business  man  of  Strawberry  Point 
and  was  a  man  well  liked  by  all. 

/.  H.  Shoulte  died  January  24,  1896,  at  Garnavillo.  He  was  born 
in  Hanover,  1820,  and  settled  in  Reed  township  in  1856.  He  was 
prominent  in  the  early  history  of  the  county  and  held  many  positions 
of  trust. 

E.  W.  Stewart  died  at  the  home  of  his  son-in-law,  R.  E,  Price, 
in  Elkader,  April  6,  1896.  He  was  born  in  New  York,  1813,  and 
settled  in  Highland  township,  in  1853.  He  was  attracted  to  the  gold- 
fields  in  the  west,  but  returned  to  Elkader  after  four  years  and,  after 
the  death  of  his  wife,  in  1872,  he  made  his  home  with  his  daughter, 
Mrs.  R.  E.  Price. 

H.  B.  Carter  died  April  22,  1896,  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.  He  was 
born  in  Ohio  in  1825,  and  came  to  Grand  Meadow  township  in  1847, 
moving  to  Elkader  in  1850,  where  he  was  one  of  the  principal  mer- 
chants for  many  years.  He  was  the  first  president  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Elkader  and,  in  1856,  was  elected  state  senator.  He  disposed 
of  his  interests  in  Elkader  in  1885  and  moved  to  Ashland,  Ore. 

Buel  Knapp  died  at  Luverne,  Minn.,  July  17,  1896.  He  was  born 
in  New  York  in  1827  and  moved  to  Elkader  in  1854.  In  1870  he 
went  to  McGregor  where  for  a  number  of  years  he  was  editor  of  the 
North  Iowa  Times.    He  left  the  county  in  1880. 

Hon.  Reuben  Noble  died  August  8,  1896,  at  McGregor.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  able  men  of  Clayton  county  and  was  prominent  in  its 
history  for  nearly  half  a  century.  A  sketch  of  his  life  appears  in 
another  chapter. 

M.  B.  Sherman  died  August  5,  1896,  at  Farmersburg.  He  was 
born  in  New  Hampshire  in  1816,  and  made  his  home  in  Farmersburg 
township  in  1845.  For  a  number  of  years  he  was  the  oldest  living 
settler  of  the  county.  His  death  was  caused  by  a  fall  which  broke 
his  thigh  bone. 

Henry  Froehlich  died  August  6,  1896.  He  was  born  in  Hamburg, 
Germany,  in  1812,  and  emigrated  to  this  county  in  1847.  The  town 
of  Froehlich  is  named  in  his  honor.  He  was  a  typical  German- 
American,  honest,  upright  and  industrious. 

George  L.  Gifford  died  September  7,  1896.  He  was  born  in  New 
York  in  1824  and  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1836.  He  took  an  active 
part  in  county  affairs  and  was  a  member  of  the  board  of  supervisors. 
His  career  included  that  of  farmer,  merchant  and  hotel  keeper. 

Casper  Becker  died  October  26,  1896,  at  Clayton.  He  was  born 
in  France  in  18 13  and  came  to  America  in  1840.     He  enlisted  in  the 


IMrROVEMENT  PERIOD 1880-I9OO  277 

regular  army  and  saw  service  in  the  Seminole  war  and  later  at  Fort 
Atkinson.  He  settled  in  Clayton  township  in  1845,  and  at  his  death 
was  the  owner  of  555  acres  of  land.  He  was  a  prominent  member  of 
the  Catholic  church  of  the  county. 

Ingle  Chapman  died  October  23,  1896.  He  was  born  in  England 
in  1830,  and  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1856.  He  was  one  of  the 
pioneers  of  Volga. 

/.  B.  Shelhammer  died  Dec.  8,  1896.  He  was  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania in  1824.  He  lived  in  the  various  parts  of  Iowa  and  Minnesota, 
and  settled  in  Elkader  in  1857.  He  enlisted  in  the  First  Iowa  cavalry 
veteran  volunteers. 

Samuel  Murdock  died  January  27,  1897,  at  Elkader.  More  than 
any  other  man  he  was  identified  with  the  history  of  Clayton  county  in 
every  phase  from  its  origin  until  the  time  of  his  death,  and  his  activ- 
ities only  ended  with  his  life.  A  sketch  of  this  distinguished  citizen 
appears  in  another  chapter. 

Patrick  Dinan  died  July  9,  1898,  at  Littleport  as  a  result  of  an 
accident  when  he  fell  from  a  load  of  hay.  He  was  born  in  Ireland  in 
1822  and  settled  in  Cox  Creek  township  in  1857.  Here,  in  almost 
unbroken  wilderness,  he  and  his  wife  struggled  with  the  problems  of 
the  pioneers  and  by  years  of  labor  gained  a  competence  for  himself 
and  family. 

James  T.  Partch  died,  May  21,  1899,  at  Elkader.  He  was  born 
in  Vermont,  181 7,  and  settled  in  Farmersburg  township  in  1848.  He 
removed  to  Elkader  in  1856  and  he  and  his  wife  were  among  the  most 
dearly  beloved  of  Elkader  people.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Universalists  church  of  Boardman  township.  The  Masonic  fraternity 
conducted  his  obsequies. 

E.  R.  Barron  died  March  23,  1897,  at  La  Crosse,  Wisconsin.  He 
was  born  in  New  Hampshire,  1829,  and  came  to  IMcGregor  in  1856 
with  ex-Governor  Samuel  Merrill  and  bought  the  mercantile  business 
of  Jones  and  Bass,  the  firm  being  Merrill  &  Barron.  At  the 
beginning  of  the  war  he  bought  the  Merrill  interests  and  the  firm 
became  E.  R.  Barron  &  Bros.  In  1886,  he  moved  to  La  Crosse,  Wis- 
consin, but  retained  his  interests  at  McGregor  and  was  a  frequent 
visitor  at  that  city.  Upon  coming  to  McGregor  he  identified  himself 
with  every  interest  of  the  city  and  of  him  the  McGregor  Times  said 
at  the  time  of  his  death :  "Better  than  any  monument  which  artisan 
may  rear,  is  that  which  is  erected  in  the  hearts  of  his  townsmen  who 
will  always  remember  him  as  a  noble,  kindly  gentleman." 


IPtfT:  ^^^.  ^WiK 


PUBLIC   SCHOOL  BUILDING,   GUTTENBERG,   IOWA 


BIRDSEYE   VIEW   OF   GUTTENBERG,   IOWA 


CHAPTER  XII 


THE  NEW  CENTURY— 1900-1916 

COUNTY  GOVERNMENT — TAX  STATEMENT — GOOD  ROADS  MOVEMENT — 
soldiers'  MONUMENTS MISCELLANEOUS  COUNTY  EVENTS OLD  SET- 
TLERS  SCHOOL      SYSTEM — SOCIAL      LIFE FINANCIAL      CONDITIONS 

CASUALTY     AND     CRIME FLOOD     OF     I916 CRIMINAL     SENSATIONS 

COUNTY   SEAT  EVENTS OPERA   HOUSE — SCHOOL   BUILDING — MCGREGOR 

INCIDENTS  —  PEARL    BUTTON    INDUSTRY SAND    MOSAICS  —  PROPOSED 

NATIONAL     PARK — PIKES     PEAK — PICTURED     ROCKS — THE     HAND     OF 

DEATH  —  20TH.    CENTURY    POLITICS  —  DEATH    OF    CHAS.    REUGNITZ 

ROOSEVELT  CAMPAIGN ELECTION  OF  I908 FIRST  PRIMARY MURPHY- 

HAUGEN  CONTEST — CAMPAIGN  OF  I912 — RECENT  POLITICS — SUFFRAGE 
ELECTION. 

THE  new  century,  although  it  has  run  its  course  less  than  sixteen 
full  years,  has  been  the  most  awe-inspiring  period  of  the 
world's  history.  More  has  been  accomplished  during  these 
years ;  more  has  occurred  to  alter  the  destinies  of  mankind,  than  has 
been  crowded  into  any  other  century  since  the  birth  of  Christ.  Science 
and  invention  have  revolutionized  every  industry  and  have  made  com- 
mon-place, in  almost  every  home,  luxuries  which  would  have  surpassed 
the  wildest  dreams  of  Roman  Emperors.  Most  unfortunately,  this 
great  tide  of  invention  has  been  accompanied  by  a  tide  of  materialism, 
in  which  idealism  has  been  largely  lost  and  the  wonder-works,  which 
might  have  added  so  greatly  to  the  joy  of  living  have  been  turned 
into  engines  of  destruction ;  man's  baser  passions  have  ruled  and  the 
whole  world  is  black  with  war.  This  has  gone  on  until  the  senses  have 
been  numbed.  Horrors,  which  would  have  chilled  the  blood  but  a  few 
years  ago,  have  become  every  day  occurrences,  and  the  destruction  of 
cities,  the  devastation  of  kingdoms,  the  starvation  of  races,  the  killing 
of  thousands  and  the  mutilation  of  thousands  upon  thousands  more, 
have  become  ordinary  items  from  our  daily  news.  Death  surges  up 
from  the  depths  of  the  sea  and  hurtles  from  the  clouds,  poisonous 
gases  asphyxiate  whole  regiments  and  unseen  guns  hurl  tons  of 
explosive  shells  upon  unseen  fortifications. 

In  the  midst  of  this  strife,  which  threatens  the  very  existence  of 
our  civilization,  it  is  like  going  from  darkness  into  light,  from  storm 


28o  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  calm,  from  the  funeral  to  the  marriage  feast,  to  turn  from  the  scenes 
of  carnage  to  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  Clayton  county.  How 
long  the  sound  of  guns  may  be  but  echoes,  how  long  before  the  war 
cloud  which  hangs  over  all  Europe  and  which  lowers  upon  our  border, 
may  swoop  over  the  western  hemisphere  no  man  may  know.  "The 
moving  finger  writes,  and  having  writ,  moves  on."  Blessed,  indeed, 
is  this  fairest  portion  of  the  fairest  land,  where  peace  and  plenty  reign 
amidst  a  world  gone  mad. 

Thus  far,  the  years,  which  have  brought  such  havoc  to  millions, 
have  been  filled  with  nothing  but  prosperity  for  the  people  of  Clayton 
county.  It  has  been  a  time  of  progress,  of  the  perfecting  of  things 
old  and  the  beginning  of  things  new.  While  population  has  decreased, 
wealth  has  increased,  largely.  New  impulse  has  been  given  to  agri- 
culture and  to  home  making  and,  whereas,  all  was  done  with  an  eye 
to  present  and  temporary  necessity,  there  is  now  apparent  in  every 
move  and  in  every  construction  the  idea  of  permanency  and  an  assured 
and  stable  future.  The  first  expression  of  this  was  in  the  great  stone 
arch  bridge  which  spans  the  Turkey  river  and  which  was  built,  seem- 
ingly, not  for  time  but  for  eternity.  All  over  the  county  the  frail 
wooden  structures  are  being  replaced  by  bridges  and  culverts  of  cement 
and  stone;  gravel  and  macadamized  highways  are  taking  the  place  of 
the  old  dirt  roads  and,  in  the  cities,  the  macadam  is,  in  turn,  giving 
way  to  brick.  Public  buildings  are  being  erected  with  fireproof  con- 
struction and  the  most  substantial  material.  In  fact  the  keynote  of 
the  history  of  Clayton  county,  since  1900,  is  this  idea  of  permanency; 
the  thought  that  this  is  home  and  is  to  be  the  home,  not  only  of  this 
but  of  future  generations,  and  that  it  is  worth  while  to  make  present 
sacrifice  that  that  home  may  be  made  as  beautiful,  as  comfortable 
and  as  complete  as  possible. 

The  population  of  Clayton  county  in  1890,  exclusive  of  its  towns, 
was  21,752;  in  1900,  these  figures  had  decreased  to  19,632;  by  1910, 
3,000  more  had  left  the  farm  and  the  population  was  16,436,  and,  in 
the  five  years  ending  with  1915,  1,000  more  had  gone,  leaving  the  rural 
population  of  the  county  at  14,431.  In  the  meantime,  the  towns  of 
the  county  had  shown  an  increase  nearly  corresponding  to  the  loss 
in  the  country.  In  1890,  the  towns  had  a  population  of  4,981 ;  by  1900 
this  was  nearly  double,  the  figures  being  8,118;  in  the  next  census 
period,  of  the  3,000  who  had  left  the  farm,  1,000  evidently  remained 
in  the  county,  for  the  towns  show  an  increase  of  that  number  and  the 
combined  urban  population  was  9,240.  Again,  in  19 15,  a  portion  of  the 
rural  loss  is  city  gain  and  the  towns  in  the  county  at  the  close  of  that 
year  had  a  combined  population  of  9,700.  This  village  population  was 
divided  among  eighteen  communities ;  running  from  1,873,  ^^  Gutten- 
berg  to  97  at  Osterdock.  The  gain  both  in  city  and  county,  however, 
did  not  keep  pace  with  the  birth  rate  and  two  things  are  apparent, 
one,  that  the  farmer,  growing  older  and  wealthier,  has  retired  and 
has  removed  to  the  village,  there  to  enjoy  the  added  comforts  of 
community  life;  and  the  other,  that  Clayton  county  is  constantly  send- 
ing out  to  the  world  its  best  and  most  adventurous  youth  and  that 
the  fledglings  are  leaving  the  home-nest  and  giving  to  the  nation  the 
best  product  of  its  farms  and  homes,  in  the  shape  of  splendid  men 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — 19OO-I916  281 

and  women.  Just  as,  during  the  Civil  war,  it  was  the  boys  from 
the  farms  of  such  counties  as  Clayton,  which  saved  the  Union,  so  now, 
it  is  the  leaven  of  common  sense,  integrity  and  sturdy  manhood  from 
such  counties  as  these  that  are  the  hope  and  the  salvation  of  our 
country. 

While  Clayton  county  has  lost  in  population  it  has  gained  amaz- 
ingly in  wealth  and  culture,  in  the  observance  of  law  and  order  and  in 
all  the  refinements  of  civilization.  In  1834,  there  were  1,429  polls  in 
the  county  and  the  gross  amount  of  taxable  property  was  $19,163.34, 
showing  a  per  capita  wealth  of  approximately  $13  for  each  voter.  In 
1900  the  27,750  people  of  the  county  had  property  of  the  taxable  value 
of  $5,818,477;  in  1910,  whereas  the  population  had  decreased  more 
than  2,000,  the  tax  value  had  increased  nearly  $2,000,000 ;  the  valua- 
tion for  that  year  being  $7,531,684.  Again,  in  1915,  with  a  decrease 
of  population  of  nearly  500,  the  taxable  value  had  increased  another 
$2,000,000,  the  figures  being  $9,623,941  and  the  assessed  value,  sup- 
posedly the  actual  value,  was  $38,495,764.  With  all  due  respect  to 
assessments  and  tax  valuations,  it  would  be  safe  to  say  that  the  real 
wealth  of  Clayton  county,  on  a  market  basis,  would  exceed  $50,000,- 
000,  giving  a  per  capita  wealth  of  approximately  $2,000.  Not  only  this, 
but  in  few  communities  is  wealth  more  evenly  distributed  and,  while 
there  are  rich  and  poor,  there  are  no  overwhelming  fortunes  and  the 
wealth  of  the  county  is  not  lodged  in  the  hands  of  a  few.  With  this 
firm  basis  of  wealth  and  prosperity,  which  nothing  short  of  a  cataclysm 
of  nature  or  of  man  can  destroy,  it  is  no  wonder  that  Clayton  county 
has  progressed  marvelously  and  that,  within  a  generation,  the  county 
has  never  felt  the  pinch  of  poverty  nor  the  real  stress  of  hard  times. 
After  all,  time  is  an  essence  of  history,  and  the  more  recent  the  event 
the  more  difficult  to  write  of  it;  for  the  very  nearness  destroys  the 
perspective  and  time  alone  brings  into  view  the  rugged  peaks  which  are 
of  real  historic  value.  Therefore,  it  is  possible  only  to  touch  upon  those 
matters  which  are  apparently  characteristic  of  the  period  and  which 
will  give  future  generations  some  idea  of  Clayton  county  as  it  was  in 
the  early  years  of  the  twentieth  century. 

County  Government — Concerning  the  affairs  relative  to  county 
government,  the  year  1900  had  barely  opened  when  ex-Governor  Wil- 
liam Larrabee,  then  a  member  of  the  state  board  of  control,  threw  a 
bomb  shell  into  camp  by  the  way  of  a  severe  criticism  of  the  brand  new 
county  asylum  which  was  the  pride  of  Clayton's  heart.  The  gov- 
ernor's strictures  upon  the  asylum  were  harsh  and  he  likened  the  cells 
to  cages  for  wild  animals.  This  aroused  a  storm  of  resentment,  and  the 
fact  that  the  asylum  had  been  occupied  but  a  few  days  and  that  there 
had  not  been  time  to  perfect  details  and  plan  a  definite  course  of  con- 
duct, makes  the  criticism  appear  to  have  been  unjust.  It  was  the  effort 
of  the  board  to  meet  the  requirements  of  the  state  board  which,  later, 
led  the  supervisors  into  difficulty ;  for,  in  1903,  the  supervisors  bought 
the  Losch  farm  of  fifty-two  acres,  adjacent  to  the  hospital,  for  the 
sum  of  $4,000.  This  was  technically  illegal  and,  in  August,  1903,  a 
petition  containing  four  counts  was  filed  against  the  supervisors.  They 
were  charged  with  the  payment  of  $2,300  for  real  estate  without  a 
vote  of  the  people;  with  paying  $1,669.89  to  F.  E.  Heckel,  against 


282  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  advice  of  the  county  attorney;  with  the  purchase  of  the  Losch 
farm  without  the  consent  of  the  people  and  with  appropriating  $75  to 
the  Iowa  Publishing  Company  for  the  insertion  of  county  statistics  in 
a  state  book  then  being  published.  The  case  was  submitted  before  the 
court,  in  October,  and  it  was  held  that,  in  regard  to  real  estate  pur- 
chases, the  board  had  exceeded  its  authority,  but  without  wrong  intent ; 
that  the  $75  appropriation  was  within  the  discretion  of  the  board,  and 
that  no  corruption  was  shown  in  regard  to  the  Heckel  case.  Prior 
to  the  death  of  the  treasurer,  Reugnitz,  F.  E.  Heckel  was  school  treas- 
urer of  Millville  township.  Not  having  occasion  to  visit  Elkader 
frequently  and  having  no  safe  place  of  deposit  for  funds,  it  was  his 
custom  to  leave  school  funds  in  the  county  treasury,  paying  school 
expenses  by  check  and  reimbursing  himself,  from  time  to  time,  from 
the  treasury.  In  this  way  he  would  receipt  for  warrants  and  return 
them  to  the  treasurer  to  be  credited  to  him.  When  the  affairs  of  the 
treasurer's  ofifice  were  overhauled,  after  Mr.  Reugnitz's  death,  a 
receipted  warrant  for  $1,670  was  found.  Mr.  Heckel  acknowledged 
the  signature,  but  claimed  that  he  had  never  received  the  money.  It 
was  this  warrant  which  the  board  ordered  paid. 

In  January,  1901,  the  county  employed  a  firm  of  so-called  "tax 
ferrets"  to  go  over  the  books  and  search  for  property  which  had 
escaped  taxation.  This  firm  was  allowed  a  commission  of  15  per  cent. 
The  assessed  valuation  for  1901  was  increased  $406,248  without  the 
aid  of  ferrets  and  Clayton  led  the  state  in  tax  valuation.  The  ferrets 
were  active  and,  in  August,  1901,  it  was  reported  that  they  had  col- 
lected $1,894  in  a  single  week  and  had  arranged  for  the  payment  of 
$10,000  more.  The  ferrets  completed  their  work  in  February,  1902, 
having  collected  $34,762.  They  returned  and,  in  March,  1903,  it  was 
reported  that  they  had  turned  into  the  treasury  $43,323  which, 
less  commissions,  etc.,  netted  the  county  $34,199.  It  was  at  their 
instance,  also,  that,  in  1901,  the  county  brought  suit  against  Mary 
Reynolds  and  the  "Diamond  Jo"  estate  for  $160,000  taxes  due,  Joseph 
Reynolds  having  died  in  1895,  leaving  an  estate  valued  at  $2,800,000. 

Among  the  other  incidents  of  county  government  was  the  suit 
brought  against  Joseph  Vogt  for  obtaining  over  payment  on  bridge 
contracts.  The  case  was  tried  in  Allamakee  county  and  Vogt  claimed 
that  he  was  sick  at  the  time  measurements  were  taken,  that  they  were 
taken  by  others  and  that  he  had  refunded  the  money  as  soon  as  the 
error  was  discovered.    Upon  this  showing  he  was  acquitted. 

Despite  the  efforts  of  the  tax  ferrets  and  the  increased  tax 
receipts,  it  was  found,  by  September,  1904,  that  the  county  finances 
were  in  bad  shape  and  that  a  bond  issue  was  necessary.  There  were 
stamped  warrants  outstanding  in  excess  of  $19,000  and  a  bond  issue 
of  $24,000  was  resorted  to,  to  maintain  the  credit  of  the  county  and 
to  prevent  loss  of  those  holding  county  warrants.  In  1908,  the  board 
at  a  special  session  ordered  a  vote  on  the  proposal  to  spend  $10,000 
for  the  purchase  of  the  Leonard  farm  as  an  addition  to  the  hospital 
grounds,  but  this  proposal  was  defeated.  In  1909,  the  main  building 
on  the  county  farm  in  Read  township  was  destroyed  by  a  fire  in  which 
one  inmate,  an  unknown  tramp,  lost  his  life.  It  was  necessary  to 
rebuild  and,  in  July,  a  contract  was  let  for  $7,965.     It  was  at  this 


THE  NEW  CENTURY — I9OO-I916  283 

session,  also,  that,  under  a  new  law,  banks  of  deposit  were  first 
designated  for  the  county  funds.  Bounties  offered  at  this  session 
were  as  follows,  for  gophers,  5  cents ;  ground  hogs,  25  cents ;  rattle 
snakes,  50  cents.  Extensive  improvements  were  made  in  the  court 
house,  in  1902,  the  small  vaults  being  replaced  by  large  ones  of  modern 
construction.  The  vaults  cost  $2,190,  and  the  metal  furniture  cost 
$2,650.  In  1903,  a  barn  was  built  at  the  poor  farm  at  a  cost  of  $2,645 
and,  in  1907,  $2,000  was  expended  for  a  steel  ceiling  for  the  court  room 
and  other  interior  improvements. 

It  was  in  191 1  and  1912  that  the  automobile  tax  became  available. 
The  first  receipts  from  this  source  were,  on  August  12,  191 1,  $1,266.54; 
April,  1912,  $3,215.67;  August,  1912,  $2,205.48.  These  added  receipts 
and  the  changes  in  the  road  law  of  the  state  made  for  a  decided 
improvement  in  the  roads  of  the  county  and,  in  January,  1913,  the 
supervisors  selected  the  county  roads  under  the  new  law,  designating 
225  miles  as  state  highways.  In  March,  1914,  the  roads  were  surveyed 
and  the  patrol  system  started.  The  county  was  divided  into  districts 
containing  approximately  ten  miles  each  and  patrolmen  employed 
for  dragging  and  repairs.  Two  grader  outfits  were  bought  for  the 
heavier  work  and  bridge  contracts  to  the  amount  of  $45,701  were  let. 
By  April,  19 14,  work  was  being  done,  by  blasting  and  excavating  on 
the  McGregor  road  near  the  Frank  Bente  farm  and  the  Stevenson  hill 
was  prepared  for  gravelling.  The  funds  available  for  road  and  bridge 
purposes  reached  nearly  $100,000,  as  follows,  county  road,  $10,235.42; 
township  road,  $29,938.87;  road  dragging,  $8,443.30;  bridge, 
$51,176.51,  and  thus,  for  highways  of  the  county  was  available  nearly 
twice  the  sum  of  the  total  county  expense  in  the  6o's.  This  money  is, 
for  the  most  part,  being  wisely  expended  and  should  in  a  few  years, 
with  the  splendid  natural  resources,  which  Clayton  county  has  in  the 
way  of  rock  and  gravel,  result  in  its  having  the  best  roads  and  bridges 
in  Iowa.  In  June,  19 12,  the  bridge  contract  made  with  P.  N.  Kingsley 
was  annulled  by  the  board  for  failure  of  performance  and  the  bonding 
company  held  to  complete  it.  The  excellent  character  of  the  modern 
road  and  bridge  work  is  shown  by  the  fact  that  in  the  flood  of  June  i, 
1916,  which  was  the  highest  the  county  has  ever  known,  no  permanent 
bridges  were  lost  and  new  road  grades  were  left  in  good  condition. 
The  county  lost  eighteen  bridges  and  culverts  in  this  flood  and  two 
crews  were  put  at  work  preparing  roads,  although  this  work  was 
impeded,  and  the  cost  of  dragging  increased,  by  the  continued  wet 
weather  throughout  the  month  of  June. 

Below  is  given  the  statement  of  the  total  taxes  collectible  in  Clay- 
ton county,  in  1916,  for  the  year  preceding.  This  table  does  not  include 
internal  revenue,  income  and  stamp  taxes,  paid  to  the  general  gov- 
ernment, nor  the  automobile  licenses  paid  to  the  state,  nor  any  other 
licenses  paid  to  towns  and  county.  With  these  items  added,  and  with- 
out considering  any  indirect  taxation,  it  will  appear  that,  in  1916,  the 
people  of  Clayton  county  will  pay  in  excess  of  $500,000,  for  the  support 
of  their  government  and  its  institutions.  Such  is  the  prosperity  and 
wealth  of  the  county,  however,  that  this  tax,  which  would  have  been 
absolutely  confiscatory  fifty  years  ago,  is  borne  lightly  and  public 
sentiment  supports  movements  for  added  expense  when  it  is  believed 


284  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

that  the  improvements  are  necessary  and  will  be  permanent.    The  fol- 
lowing is  the  tax  table  for  1915: 

CLAYTON  COUNTY  TAXES  FOR  I915 

General  state $  41,671.66 

General  state  tax  on  money  and  credits 2,043.75 

Capital  extension  tax 1,636.06 

Capital  extension  tax  on  money  and  credits 80.22 

General  county  tax  including  bonds 70,671.68 

Poor    8,076.73 

Soldiers   relief 2,019.20 

Bridge   50,479-83 

City    31.193-21 

Insane  tax  state  hospital 10,095.92 

Insane  tax  county  hospital 2,019.20 

County   school 10,095.92 

District  school 168,922.75 

County  road  or  permanent  road 10,095.92 

County  road  buildings 16,791.61 

Township  roads 26,904.48 

Road  dragging 8,453.00 

Miscellaneous   945-99 

Poll    3426.50 

Dog    2,767.00 

Delinquent    road 1,776.58 

Grand    total $470,167.21 

Good  Roads  Movement — Much  of  the  credit  for  the  good  roads 
movement,  which  has  been  one  of  the  most  prominent  features  of 
Iowa's  development  since  1900,  must  be  given  to  the  automobile  and  to 
the  enthusiasm  of  automobile  owners.  By  this  date,  1916,  the  auto- 
mobile has  almost  driven  the  horse  from  the  highways  of  Clayton 
county.  The  horse-drawn  carriage  is  the  exception  and,  except  for 
the  hauling  of  produce,  the  horse  is  rarely  seen  upon  the  road.  Owing 
to  the  nature  of  the  country  which  makes  railroad  building  expensive, 
although  the  railway  mileage  is  large,  inter-county  communication  is 
poor.  Garnavillo  is  perhaps  the  largest,  and  certainly  it  is  the  most 
prosperous,  inland  town  in  Iowa.  Save  for  the  branch  line  to  Beulah, 
by  which  it  is  connected  with  McGregor  and  Monona,  the  county  seat 
is  inaccessible  to  the  people  of  the  county,  except  by  the  highways. 

These  conditions  have  made  the  automobile  almost  indispensable 
and  there  are  hundreds  of  cars  owned  in  the  county,  it  being  one  of  the 
first  counties  in  Iowa,  and  in  the  United  States,  in  the  point  of  auto- 
mobile ownership.  At  first,  in  this,  as  in  other  localities,  the  good  roads 
movement  was  regarded  as  a  selfish  interest  largely  for  the  enjoyment 
of  the  wealthy  motorists,  but  when  every  well-to-do  farmer  owned  a 
machine,  the  necessity  for  good  roads  was  appreciated.  Auto  clubs  and 
good  roads  clubs  were  formed  in  the  various  towns,  thoroughfares 
were  marked  with  signboards  and  legislation  was  promoted.  One  of 
the  most  simple  but  most  effective  inventions  was  the  King  drag  and 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  285 

Professor  King  was  brought  to  Elkader  and  exhibited  the  drag  for 
the  benefit  of  the  people.  Still  later,  a  law  became  effective  by  which 
county  supervisors  and  road  supervisors  held  a  general  meeting  each 
year.  These  doubtless  did  much  to  spread  general  information  about 
road  work.  The  greatest  step  in  advance,  however,  was  when  the  state 
highway  commission  was  created  and  systematic  work,  under  the 
guidance  of  experts,  was  begun.  It  is  hard  to  believe  that  the  first 
automobile  was  owned  in  this  county  in  1902.  It  was  called  a  loco- 
mobile, was  propelled  by  steam  and  was  owned  by  J.  O.  Crosby,  of 
Gamavillo.  The  McGregor  Times  speaks  of  this  machine,  in  August, 
1902,  and  says  that  Mr.  Crosby  had  owned  it  since  spring,  that  he  had 
no  instructions  and  had  some  difficulty  in  getting  it  started  and  in 
learning  to  operate  it.  The  Times  also  says  that  the  automobile  is  not 
new  and  calls  attention  to  an  item  in  its  files  of  1857,  telling  of  a  steam 
wagon  which  had  been  constructed  to  carry  forty  people,  fifteen  miles 
per  hour,  for  use  in  New  Mexico.  Mr.  Huntting,  of  McGregor  also 
bought  a  machine  about  this  time  and  T.  M.  Davidson  had  the  first 
automobile  in  Elkader  and  was  also  the  owner  of  the  first  motorcycle 
in  the  county.  The  Auto  Club,  of  Elkader,  and  the  Auto  Trail  Club,  of 
McGregor,  have  both  done  much  for  good  roads.  In  April,  1916, 
delegates  from  this  "county  attended  a  meeting  at  Cedar  Rapids  at 
which  the  Park  Trail  was  organized.  This  route  is  to  run  from 
Ottumwa  to  McGregor,  the  towns  in  this  county,  on  the  route,  being 
Edgewood,  Littleport,  Elkader,  Giard  and  McGregor.  Another  route 
also  is  being  planned  along  the  west  shore  of  the  Mississippi  and  this 
also  is  being  promoted  by  the  enthusiasts  at  McGregor. 

In  spite  of  the  large  amount  of  taxes,  the  county  receipts  did 
not  keep  pace  with  expenditures  and,  in  September,  19 15,  the  super- 
visors proposed  a  bond  issue  of  $75,000  to  take  up  outstanding  war- 
rants. In  October,  this  resolution  was  amended  to  the  issuance  of 
$25,000  bonds  at  that  time  and  $50,000  after  January  i.  1916.  The 
bonds  were  sold  to  the  Continental  and  Commercial  Savings  Bank  of 
Chicago. 

The  bounties  offered  by  the  county  proved  effective,  for  in  one 
week,  in  September,  bounties  were  paid  for  forty-one  rattle  snakes 
and  the  succeeding  week  for  fifty-six  and  for  the  year  1915,  the  bounties 
paid  were  as  follows,  for  pocket  gopher,  4,635  at  10  cents,  $463.50; 
ground  hogs,  11,101,  at  15  cents,  $1,665.15;  rattle  snakes,  1,605,  ^^  5^ 
cents,  $802.50,  making  a  total  of  nearly  $3,000  for  the  year. 

Soldiers'  Monuments — Among  the  other  acts  of  the  supervisors 
which  were  of  interest  was  the  appointment  of  T.  M.  Davidson,  J.  C. 
Barnes  and  B.  W.  Newberry  as  a  soldiers  relief  commission.  Under 
this  commission  the  soldiers  of  the  county  have  been  cared  for  and 
three  monuments  have  been  erected,  one  at  Strawberry  Point,  one  at 
Monona  and  one  at  McGregor,  thus  carrying  out  the  project  of  the 
"cenotaph  association"  urged  by  Eliphalet  Price  more  than  fifty  years 
ago.  The  monument  at  McGregor  was  the  last  dedicated,  appropriate 
exercises  being  held  on  Memorial  Day,  1916,  with  Hon.  Carl  F. 
Kuehnle  of  Denison,  Iowa,  as  the  orator.  This  work  is  done  by  means 
of  a  one  mill  tax  and  it  is  expected  to  provide  monuments  at  other 


286  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

cemeteries  in  the  county  where  numbers  of  the  soldier  dead  are 
buried. 

Miscellaneous  County  Events — In  1914,  an  accident  occurred  at  a 
bridge  in  Wagner  township.  John  Schmidt  was  driving  across  this 
bridge  when  it  went  down  and  he  was  killed.  Suit  was  brought  against 
the  county  and  the  case  was  tried  in  Fayette  county,  resulting  in  a 
verdict  of  $9,000  for  the  plaintiff.  This  case  cost  the  county  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $10,000.     Schmidt  Bros.  &  Co.  received  a  license,  in 

19 1 5,  to  erect  a  transformer  station  in  connection  with  the  extension 
of  electric  power  lines  to  Garnavillo  and  Guttenberg,  and  the  line  was 
completed  to  Garnavillo  and  electricity  supplied  to  that  town  in  April, 

1916,  and  prior  to  that  time  electric  power  had  been  supplied  from 
McGregor  to  Giard  and  Monona.  Rural  free  delivery  was  another 
great  blessing  which  came  to  the  people  at  the  beginning  of  the  century. 
In  January,  1901,  the  postmaster  of  Elkader  started  petitions  to  secure 
rural  routes  and  this  was  followed  by  a  meeting  of  citizens,  held  in 
February,  at  which  three  routes  were  planned.  The  first  route  in  the 
county  was  out  of  Farmersburg,  July  i,  1901,  at  which  time  the  stage 
line,  from  McGregor  to  National,  was  abandoned.  Rural  routes  were 
planned  throughout  the  county  and,  in  July,  1903,  the  three  routes 
out  of  Elkader  were  established.  These  brought  numerous  changes  in 
the  postal  service,  led  to  the  abandonment  of  several  postoffices  and 
almost  entirely  did  away  with  the  star  route  service,  although  this 
service  is  maintained  to  Garnavillo  and  between  Elkader  and  Osborne. 
The  parcel  post  system  was  instituted  January  i,  19 13. 

Other  features  of  the  county  life  was  the  increased  attention  paid 
to  agricultural  matters.  Farmers  institutes  were  held  in  various  parts 
of  the  county  and  short  courses  in  agriculture,  at  which  time  prizes 
were  offered  for  corn.  The  first  short  course  was  held  in  Elkader, 
in  1913,  and  was  a  great  success.  A.  J.  Carpenter  was  manager  and 
F.  L.  Hochaus  &  Sons  won  the  prizes  for  both  yellow  and  white  com. 
Another  successful  institute  was  held  at  McGregor,  in  February,  1914, 
and,  in  June,  1914,  a  farm  investigation  tour  was  conducted  by  experts 
from  the  State  Agricultural  College,  at  which  time  the  farms  of  J.  L. 
Cords,  Julius  Christeleit,  John  Ehrhardt,  D.  F.  Willmes,  J.  F.  Johnson, 
H.  H.  Diers,  A.  F.  Kramer,  and  Frank  Nugent  were  visited.  The  crops 
throughout  all  this  period  were  good,  with  the  exception  of  the  year 
191 5>  when  a  wet  season  and  early  frost  did  great  damage.  Prices 
were  fair  and  Clayton  maintained  its  reputation  as  one  of  the  great 
producing  counties  of  the  state.  In  1902,  Clayton  stood  fourth  in 
butter  shipments,  the  total  for  the  year  being  2,503,524  pounds.  It  also 
led  all  northeastern  Iowa  in  production  of  fruits,  receiving  the  first 
premium  among  forty  counties.  A  peculiar  industry  was  that  estab- 
lished by  Burgess  and  Hanson,  at  Luana,  where  they  started  a  herd  of 
native  buffalo.  This  was  such  a  curiosity  that  excursions  were  run 
from  Monona  and  the  buffalo  ranch  had  many  visitors.  Old  Tom,  the 
leader  of  the  herd,  was  shot  in  1901,  and  the  head  was  sold  to  the 
Smithsonian  Institute  for  $600,  the  carcass  bringing,  in  all,  in  the 
neighborhood  of  $1,000.  Later,  the  herd  was  sold  at  auction,  Frank 
Rockefeller  being  the  principal  buyer. 

In  1901,  occurred  the  death  of  Andrew  Thompson,  the  confessed 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  28/ 

murderer  of  the  Hagerty  family.  For  a  third  of  a  century  he  had 
been  in  the  penitentiary,  and  there  he  died  at  the  age  of  76.  He  left 
an  estate  of  some  $20,000  to  his  wife  and  he  requested  that  he  be 
buried  in  Clayton  county,  but  this  wish  was  disregarded  and  his  body 
was  sacrificed  upon  the  altar  of  science  at  Iowa  City. 

Old  Settlers — Interest  in  the  old  settlers  was  revived  by  the 
McGregor  Times  by  an  inquiry  as  to  the  oldest  settler  in  the  county 
then  living.  There  were  numerous  claimants  for  this  honor,  among 
whom  were  Mrs.  Ellen  Tapper,  widow  of  James  Tapper,  who  came 
to  McGregor,  in  1840;  Levi  Springer,  whose  father  settled  at  Millville, 
in  1836,  and  who  stated  that  the  log  house  was  still  standing  where 
Judge  Murdock  plead  his  first  case.  Marshall  Hatfield  was  another 
claimant  for  the  honor,  he  having  come  with  his  father,  Robert  Hat- 
field, to  Turkey  river,  in  1833.  ^  he  Times  ran  an  excellent  old  settlers 
edition,  and  this,  and  comment  created  thereby,  caused  Colonel 
Eiboeck,  then  of  Des  Moines,  to  write  of  old  times  in  Clayton  county 
as  follows: 

"It  is  sad  to  reflect,  however,  that  of  all  the  men  mentioned  in  the 
Old  Settlers'  Edition  but  two  are  living,  1  homas  Updegraiif  and  J.  O. 
Crosby.  Everyone  of  those  pioneers  was  a  personal  friend  and  patron. 
What  would  we  not  give  to  be  able  to  shake  their  honest  old  paws  again. 
Tom  Updegrafif  would  certainly  join  us  once  more  upon  a  Fourth  of 
July  excursion  with  hard  cider  as  a  stimulant  to  awaken  the  slumbering 
echoes  of  Buck  Creek.  Honest  John  Garber  would  shake  his  sides 
to  recall  the  county  seat  contests  of  the  6o's,  while  good  old  John 
Kriebs  of  Guttenburg,  justice  of  the  peace  in  Jefferson  township,  Clay- 
ton county,  state  of  Iowa,  would  invite  us  aside  to  something  real  good. 
Judge  Murdock,  always  the  most  hospitable  of  men,  would  not  think 
of  letting  us  go  out  of  his  sight  for  a  week  and  Elijah  Odell  would 
forget  his  Methodistic  predilection  for  a  time  and  join  us  and  Reuben 
Noble  in  trying  who  could  do  the  most  for  the  other.  Oh,  that  they 
were  yet  living !  Old  Clayton  county  would  see  such  a  jubilee  as  she 
has  never  known,  God  bless  the  memory  of  those  old  pioneers." 
Other  reminders  of  the  old  times  were  the  three  golden  weddings 
which  occurred  in  the  same  family  during  the  year  1903 ;  the  couples 
being  Mr.  and  Mrs.  J.  E.  Corlett,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Marshal  Crawford 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Orr;  and  the  first  of  the  family  reunions  of 
the  Bickel  family,  which  were,  for  some  years  notable  events  in  Giard 
township. 

Many  railroad  projects  were  still  on  foot.  In  1901,  Gamavillo 
organized  the  Garnavillo  &  Guttenburg  Railway  Company  and  en- 
gineers were  engaged  to  survey  the  route.  In  1909,  there  was  much 
interest  in  the  rumor  that  the  Volga  line  was  to  be  extended  to  Mason 
City  and  made  a  main  line  of  travel. 

School  System — The  schools  of  the  county  also  made  progress 
both  in  town  and  country.  In  1901,  St.  Olaf  dedicated  its  new  school 
house  with  appropriate  ceremonies.  There  were  two  rooms,  with  Miss 
Knudson  as  principal  and  Miss  Reugnitz  as  teacher.  The  teachers 
institutes  were  well  attended  and  "teachers  inspirational"  meetings 
were  held,  successfully,  at  dififerent  towns  of  the  county.  In  1915, 
the  law  governing  the  election  of  county  superintendent,  was  changed 


288  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

SO  that,  instead  of  being  a  partisan,  elective  office,  it  became  an 
appointive  office  at  the  hands  of  representatives  of  the  different  school 
districts  of  the  county.  Auditor  John  Adam  issued  the  call  for  the  first 
election,  under  this  new  method,  and  the  school  convention  was  held 
April  6,  1915.  D.  D.  Murphy  presided  and  John  Adam  acted  as  sec- 
retary. Carl  F.  Becker  received  39  votes  for  superintendent  and  T. 
R.  Roberts  two  votes  and  Mr.  Becker  was  declared  elected.  There 
were  at  this  meeting  representatives  of  eighteen  township  schools  and 
sixteen  independent  districts  besides  rural  independent  districts.  The 
October,  19 15,  number  of  the  Midland  Schools  gave  Superintendeot 
Carl  F.  Becker  the  following  compliment:  "County  Superintendent 
Carl  F.  Becker,  of  Clayton  county,  is  doing  some  good  work  up  in  his 
corner  of  the  state.  He  has  introduced  a  system  of  credit  for  home 
work  which  is  a  great  help  in  arousing  interest  in  the  rural  schdols.  He 
is  planning  a  series  of  township  meetings  for  this  coming  winter  in 
which  special  stress  will  be  laid  on  better  rural  schools.  He  and  his 
teachers  are  abolishing  all  the  common  water  buckets  from  the  rural 
schools.  He  has  started  two  consolidations  of  rural  schools  which 
he  hopes  to  carry  through  successfully  this  winter.  It  is  men  of  his 
aggressive  type  who  are  needed  in  the  rural  school  work  to  advance 
them  to  the  same  high  standard  as  the  city  schools  are  attaining." 
This  compliment  is  well  deserved  and  under  the  new,  non-partisan 
control  with  Mr.  Becker  as  superintendent  the  schools  of  the  county 
are  in  splendid  condition.  There  were  in  the  county,  in  19 16,  140  rural 
school  districts  with  164  rooms  employing  164  teachers.  The  enroll- 
ment of  the  rural  schools  was  3,066.  There  were  also  16  independent 
school  districts,  employing  18  men  and  74  women  teachers.  The 
enrollment  was  2,413,  making  the  total  teaching  force  of  the  county 
256  and  the  total  enrollment  5,479.  The  school  expenditures,  for  the 
year  1915,  were  approximately  $176,000.  The  average  compensation 
for  women  teachers  was  $50.99  and  for  men  $74.52.  The  value  of 
school  houses  was  $269,570  and  of  apparatus  $14,150. 

Social  Life — The  fairs  of  the  county  developed  during  this  period, 
although  the  success,  from  year  to  year,  was  largely  dependent  upon 
weather  conditions.  The  old  established  county  fair  at  National  has 
been  able  to  maintain  its  existence,  in  spite  of  its  location  away  from 
transportation  facilities.  The  fair  at  Strawberry  Point  has  become  one 
of  the  noted  institutions  of  northeastern  Iowa,  having  patronage  from 
several  of  the  counties  adjacent,  and  the  Elkader  fair  has  met  with  good 
average  success  and  has  grown  as  an  institution.  The  chautauqua 
has  developed  into  a  strong  institution,  having  been  started  at 
McGregor  before  the  beginning  of  the  century  and  having  been  con- 
tinued successfully.  Monona  and  Elkader  and  other  cities  also  make 
the  chautauqua  a  feature  of  their  summer  season,  while  almost  every 
town  has  some  festival  day  peculiarly  its  own. 

Another  development  of  the  county  is  the  rapid  growth  of  tele- 
phone lines,  until  the  county  has  become  a  network  of  wires.  There 
is  an  exchange  in  every  village,  and  not  only  is  there  the  Bell  system, 
with  its  excellent  long  distance  service,  but  mutual  farm  companies 
which  have  connection  with  almost  every  farm  home  in  the  county. 
Another   distinctive   feature  has   been   the   forming  of   co-operative 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  289 

marketing  associations  among  the  farmers,  and  a  large  percentage  of 
the  produce  of  the  county  is  now  marketed  direct  by  the  farms  through 
their  own  agents.  The  wealth  of  the  county  is  shown  by  the  con- 
solidated bank  statements  for  the  years  1913  and  1914,  both  of  which 
are  given  to  show  the  growth  in  the  savings  of  the  county. 

FINANCIAL  CONDITIONS 

In  19 1 3  there  were  22  banks  in  Clayton  county,  with  total  deposits 
of  $5,750,830.59;  total  capital,  $646,000;  total  loans,  $4,747,035.89; 
surplus  and  undivided  profits,  $193,575.05 ;  total  resources,  $6,554,- 
390.86.  The  deposits  February,  1913,  were  $5,232,612.44,  and  on 
January  i,  1914,  $5,750,830.59,  an  increase  during  the  year  of  $518,- 
218.15.  In  1914,  there  were  23  banks  with  total  deposits  of  $5,626,- 
173.40;  capital  $596,000;  loans,  $5,070,309.54;  surplus  and  undivided 
profits,  $217,972.43,  and  resources  of  $6,612,508.80.  Another  side- 
light upon  the  wealth  of  the  county  is  the  fact  that  at  the  Iowa  picnic 
held  at  Los  Angeles,  in  1913,  more  than  100  Clayton  county  residents 
were  registered. 

The  character  of  agricultural  operations  has  largely  changed  since 
the  early  days,  much  more  of  the  product  of  the  farm  is  being  sold  "on 
the  hoof"  or  in  dairy  produce  and,  whereas  in  the  early  days,  wheat 
was  the  largest  and  almost  the  only  product  of  the  county,  by  19 12,  it 
had  become  inconsiderable;  the  production  of  potatoes,  in  bushels 
being  five  times  that  of  wheat.  In  1912,  there  were  more  than  415,000 
acres  under  cultivation  and  the  crop  statistics  were  as  follows,  corn,. 
2,868,871  bushels;  oats,  2,001,645;  winter  wheat,  35,096;  spring  wheat, 
9,642 ;  barley,  357^66;  rye,  34,209;  hay,  tons,  70,031 ;  wild  hay,  1,856; 
alfalfa,  141 ; ;  potatoes,  243,533  bushels.  The  number  of  cattle  was 
49,044;  sheep,  9,908;  poultry,  463,082.  The  European  war  increased 
the  value  of  bread-stuffs  and  had  the  season  of  1915  been  more 
favorable  that  year  would  have  been  the  most  prosperous  in  the 
county  history. 

The  Flood  Record — With  its  steep  hills  and  narrow  water 
courses,  Clayton  county  is  peculiarly  subject  to  damage  by  storm  and 
floods.  In  May,  1902,  there  was  an  exceedingly  heavy  rain  fall. 
Bridges  were  damaged  to  the  extent  of  from  $40,000  to  $50,000.  The 
Turkey  river,  at  Elkader,  was  higher  than  in  the  flood  of  1880.  The 
railroad  track  was  washed  away  and  the  city  water  main  across  the 
river  was  broken.  At  Elkport,  the  flood  was  serious.  The  water 
struck  the  city  during  the  night  and  it  was  with  difficulty  that  some 
were  rescued  by  means  of  rafts  from  the  second  stories  of  their  homes. 
In  the  midst  of  the  confusion  of  the  flood  there  were  two  explosions 
in  Kriebs'  drug  store  and  this  building  and  the  Odd  Fellows  building 
were  soon  in  flames.  The  flood  record  of  1880  was  surpassed  and 
every  merchant  in  the  town  suffered  loss.  At  McGregor,  the  business 
district  was  flooded  and  the  rain  was  accompanied  by  an  electric 
storm  in  which  three  stores  were  struck  by  lightning  and  the  property 
loss  from  fire  was  $20,000.  There  was  also  an  explosion  in  Frese's 
store,  which  was  of  such  violence  that  men  were  thrown  from  the  sec- 
ond story  of  the  hotel  and  Charles  Lewis  was  injured  by  a  falling 
wall.  This  storm  occurred  on  Sunday  and,  on  the  following  Tuesday, 
there  was  another  storm  of  almost  equal  violence.    The  total  damage 


290  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  bridges  was  estimated  at  $75,000.  The  mill  at  Volga  and  the 
bridge  at  Littleport  were  endangered,  Elkport  was  flooded  for  the 
second  time  in  a  week  and  Strawberry  Point  was  the  scene  of  a  severe 
hail  storm. 

The  next  flood  was  in  July,  1903.  The  damage  to  bridges  was 
again  heavy,  especially  in  Garnavillo  township.  There  were  land  slides 
and  washouts  on  the  Elkader  and  Volga  branches,  and  Elkport  was 
flooded  for  the  fifth  time  in  fourteen  months.  McGregor  also  began 
the  century  with  a  cloudburst  of  its  own,  in  October,  1900.  Three  feet 
of  water  rushed  down  the  main  street  for  more  than  two  hours,  and  it 
was  then  reported  as  the  most  disastrous  flood  for  individuals  that 
the  town  had  ever  had.  In  September,  1904,  the  Edgewood  Journal 
was  responsible  for  the  statement  that  hailstones  fell  measuring  from 
four  to  six  inches  in  circumference,  smashing  practically  all  the  window 
lights  in  the  town  and  breaking  the  backs  of  hogs  running  in  the  field. 
Highland  and  Boardman  townships  suffered  severely  from  hail,  and, 
in  March,  1906,  the  Turkey  river  was  again  in  flood,  the  Elkader  line 
was  badly  damaged  and  the  flood  at  Elkport  was  within  eighteen 
inches  of  the  high  water  mark  of  1902.  John  Downie  and  Mr.  Friend 
were  the  heaviest  losers  at  Elkader.  In  June,  1908,  there  was  a  terrific 
storm  of  wind,  rain  and  hail  throughout  the  county.  At  McGregor, 
4^  inches  of  water  fell  in  40  minutes.  The  stream  down  Main  street 
reached  the  height  of  six  feet,  there  was  a  mile  of  ruins,  the  sewer 
system  was  wrecked  and  the  Clark  Hospital  badly  injured.  Giard 
also  suffered  and,  at  Edgewood,  buildings  were  injured  and  bark 
stripped  from  the  trees  by  the  hail.  Bickel's  trout  pond  was  washed 
out,  the  Elkader  train  was  marooned  by  the  storm  for  24  hours  and 
much  damage  was  done  at  Luana.  The  problem  at  McGregor  was 
serious  for  an  epidemic  threatened  as  a  result  of  the  flood  and  Gutten- 
berg  sent  help  to  McGregor  to  clean  up  the  debris.  The  next  severe 
storm  was  in  July,  1908.  There  were  four  inches  of  rain  at  Elkader, 
and  Turkey  river  and  Pony  creek  were  raging  torrents.  The  train 
was  caught  at  Downie's  crossing  and  was  unable  to  go  forward  or 
back  on  account  of  washouts.  Garber,  Elkport  and  Littleport  were 
flooded.  At  Littleport  the  Keve  Bros,  lumber  yards  were  set  afire, 
by  water  coming  in  contact  with  a  barrel  of  lime,  and  in  this  fire  the 
Catholic  church  was  also  burned.  Railroad  traffic  was  stopped  for 
many  days  and  the  damage  to  crops  was  estimated  at  $100,000.  In 
McGregor,  it  was  necessary  to  establish  a  relief  fund  and,  in  November, 
the  balance  of  more  than  $2,000  was  turned  over  to  the  council  for  the 
repair  of  sewers. 

Flood  of  igi6 — Save  for  a  wind  storm,  in  June,  1914,  which 
destroyed  barns  and  sheds,  the  county  was  free  from  severe  storms 
tmtil  June  i,  1916.  While  no  lives  were  lost  in  the  great  storm  of 
1916,  the  property  loss  was  the  heaviest  the  county  has  ever  known.  At 
Elkader,  the  oldest  inhabitant  admitted,  reluctantly,  that  he  had  never 
seen  the  river  so  high.  The  new  dam  withstood  the  test  with  practically 
no  damage.  The  Turkey  river  was  two  feet  above  all  previous  records, 
but  the  chief  damage  at  Elkader  was  the  destruction  of  Lenth's  ice 
house  and  the  city's  ice  supply.  The  Elkader  line  was  almost  a  com- 
plete wreck  from  Beulah  to  Elkader.    The  bridge  at  Stulta  and  many 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  29! 

Other  smaller  bridges  were  washed  out  and  it  was  not  until  June  24th, 
that  traffic  was  reopened. 

The  storm  at  McGregor  was  much  more  severe  than  in  any  other 
part  of  the  county,  nearly  all  the  business  houses  were  flooded  and  the 
paving  which  was  under  construction  was  damaged  to  the  extent  of 
$1,000.  At  North  McGregor,  the  loss  to  the  Milwaukee  railroad 
reached  $500,000.  A  great  flood  rushed  down  Bloody  Run,  the  round 
house  collapsed  with  a  crash,  the  yards  were  entirely  water  swept, 
every  sidetrack  was  washed  out,  engines  and  cars  were  tossed  about 
by  the  flood,  a  big  iron  bridge,  90  feet  long,  was  carried  thirty  rods 
down  the  stream ;  but  for  warning,  sent  by  the  operator  at  Giard,  the 
loss  of  life  from  the  eight-foot  wall  of  water  would  have  been  large. 
Seven  bridges  were  washed  out  between  Beulah  and  McGregor.  Great 
loss  was  sustained  to  freight  in  the  yards  and  this  fell  upon  the 
individual  owner.  The  Milwaukee  railroad  had  been  planning  to  raise 
the  yards  and  tracks  at  North  McGregor  and  up  Bloody  Run  and  much 
material  was  lost  in  the  flood.  As  a  result  of  the  flood,  the  railroad 
began  operations  at  once  to  make  such  improvements  as  will  make  a 
repetition  of  the  disaster  impossible  and  $1,000,000  is  to  be  spent  in 
raising  the  road  bed  and  the  yards  and  erecting  permanent  terminal 
facilities.  All  railroad  travel  was  stopped  by  the  flood  and  it  was  a 
number  of  days  before  even  a  temporary  track  could  be  laid.  Sny 
Magill  was  also  at  flood.  Crops  were  damaged  in  Clayton  and  Garna- 
villo  and  Farmersburg  townships  and  a  number  of  buildings  were 
blown  down.  The  storm  was  extensive  and  adjoining  counties  suffered 
greatly.  On  the  Sunday  following  the  storm  thousands  of  people  from 
Clayton  and  other  counties  visited  McGregor  to  view  the  wreckage.  A 
pontoon  bridge  was  provided  to  cross  the  channel  by  the  west  yards. 
A  charge  of  five  cents  was  asked  and  during  Sunday,  4,085  crossed, 
the  receipts  from  this  enterprise  amounting  to  $197.85. 

Criminal  Sensations — The  county  was  remarkably  free  from  crime 
of  a  serious  or  sensational  nature,  showing  the  steady  improvement 
in  the  grade  of  citizenship.  In  November,  1906,  John  L.  Bowland  of 
Highland  township  was  murdered  by  Ed  West.  The  details  of  the 
crime  were  particularly  bloody  and  revolting.  Frank  Meisner  notified 
the  officers  that  there  were  evidences  of  a  tragedy  and  that  Mr.  Bow- 
land  was  missing.  Sheriff  Dittmer  and  others  went  to  the  Bowland 
place  and  after  considerable  search,  his  body  was  found  buried  in  a 
corn  field.  The  head  and  body  were  badly  mangled  and  it  was  evident 
that  the  crime  had  been  committed  with  a  claw  hammer.  The  evidence 
pointed  to  Ed  West  as  the  guilty  party,  as  he  had  been  seen  at  the 
place  with  torn  and  bloody  clothes  and  later  he  had  returned  to  his 
home  and  had  his  wife  wash  the  blood  soaked  garments.  West  had 
worked  in  the  field  all  the  next  day  and  was  arrested  on  his  way  home. 
He  was  tried  for  this  crime  and  sentenced  to  life  imprisonment.  A 
tragedy,  which  created  wide-spread  interest  and  sympathy,  occurred, 
in  January,  1915,  when  Mildred  Sweeney,  a  teacher,  was  burned  to 
death  at  the  home  of  Ben  Meyer,  in  Cox  Creek  township.  Miss 
Sweeney  gave  the  alarm  by  which  the  family  was  able  to  escape,  but 
the  fire  spread  so  rapidly  that  she  was  unable  to  leave  the  burning  build- 
ing and  efforts  to  rescue  her,  made  by  Mr.  Meyer,  were  unavailing. 


292  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

County  Seat  Events — According  to  the  census  of  1900,  Elkader 
had  a  population  of  1,321,  this  being  an  increase  of  576  over  1890.  The 
years  immediately  preceding  had  been  the  nearest  approach  to  a  boom 
that  Elkader  has  ever  known  and  it  was  filled  with  hope  and  confidence 
for  the  future.  In  December  of  1899,  ^^^  Catholic  church  had  been 
dedicated  and  the  bridge,  the  new  hotel  and  the  Molumby  block  were 
accomplished  facts.  The  first  thing  which  occupied  the  attention  of 
the  citizens  in  1900  was  the  question  of  an  electric  light  franchise. 
Schmidt  Bros.  &  Co.  made  a  proposition  to  furnish  electricity  and  a 
special  election  was  held  to  vote  on  a  franchise.  There  was  consider- 
able controversy  as  to  the  terms  of  the  contract,  many  holding  that  with 
the  rapid  improvements  being  made  in  electrical  apparatus  the  rates 
were  too  high  and  others  contended  that  this  was  not  the  case  and  urged 
the  city  to  take  a  forward  step.  The  election  was  held  in  February,  the 
vote  being  217  for  the  franchise  and  62  against.  On  the  passage  of  the 
franchise,  steps  were  immediately  taken  to  install  a  plant  and  it  was 
instituted  without  unnecessary  delay.  In  April,  1900,  the  Congrega- 
tionaHsts  of  the  city  were  delighted  by  a  generous  gift  on  the  part  of 
Mrs.  Caroline  Hartrich,  who  purchased  a  residence  adjoining  the 
church,  for  the  sum  of  $2,000,  and  presented  it  to  the  society  for  par- 
sonage purposes.  Some  of  the  events  of  the  year  following  were  the 
agitation  for  a  canning  factory,  a  meeting  being  held  and  a  committee 
appointed,  but  without  results.  In  April,  the  Coterie  Club  gave  a  book 
carnival,  the  hundred  volumes  presented  being  the  nucleus  for  the 
present  school  library. 

For  the  first  time,  perhaps,  the  people  became  greatly  interested 
in  base  ball  and  the  interest  was  increased  by  the  fact  that  Fred  Schoch, 
an  Elkader  boy,  had  become  a  star  pitcher  in  the  Pacific  League  with 
the  Seattle  Club. 

The  Opera  House  erected  by  the  Turners  was  opened  in  August, 
1901,  with  the  play,  "Peaceful  Valley,"  and,  in  September  the  Opera 
House  was  the  scene  of  the  Memorial  meeting  when  all  heads  were 
bowed  with  grief  over  the  death  of  President  McKinley.  John  Everall 
and  D.  D.  Murphy  were  the  speakers  on  this  occasion. 

The  eleventh  anniversary  of  the  founding  of  the  Elkader  band 
was  made  a  matter  of  public  interest,  in  March,  1902.  The  band  was 
organized  in  1890,  the  first  officers  being  H.  D.  Brown,  president;  M. 
E.  Munger,  vice  president ;  G.  H.  Grotewohl,  secretary ;  W.  E.  Prior, 
treasurer.  Other  members  of  the  band  were  A.  P.  Bock,  W.  F. 
Reinecke,  R.  F.  Schmidt,  B.  F.  Falkenhainer,  W.  J.  Vaupel,  J.  A. 
Kramer,  J.  Kepple,  G.  A.  Candler,  and  S.  F.  Steinhilber.  The  band 
was  uniformed  in  1897  and  in  1899  new  instruments  were  obtained. 
The  receipts  of  the  band  for  eleven  years  were  $3,261  of  which  but 
$103  were  donated.  This  was  an  institution  of  which  Elkader  was 
justly  proud. 

It  appears  that  the  saloons  in  Elkader  and  throughout  the  county 
had  been  doing  very  much  as  they  pleased  during  the  decade  preceding. 
In  April,  1902,  Judge  Fellows  instructed  the  grand  jury  that  there  must 
be  stricter  observance  of  the  law  and  that  if  this  was  not  done  indict- 
ments must  be  found.  He,  however,  gave  time  for  the  desired  reforma- 
tion.   The  mayors  of  the  towns  consulted  and  as  a  result  the  saloons 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  293 

of  Elkader  were  closed  on  Sundays  for  the  first  time  in  eleven  years 
and  other  regulations  were  enforced. 

Following  the  flood  of  1902,  the  business  men  of  Elkader  protested 
against  the  slowness  with  which  the  work  of  repairing  bridges  was 
being  prosecuted.  Particularly  did  they  complain  of  the  fact  that  the 
bridge  at  Stulta  had  been  out  for  several  months.  An  indignation 
meeting  was  held  and  a  committee  composed  of  J.  G.  Hempel,  Joseph 
Lamm  and  G.  H.  Shoulte  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the  supervisors 
and  through  their  efforts  the  work  was  hastened.  It  was  at  this  time, 
July,  1902,  that  the  first  mention  of  an  automobile  appears  in  an  Elk- 
ader paper.  It  was  in  July,  1902,  also,  that  the  council  authorized 
the  ladies  to  take  charge  of  the  Elkader  cemetery.  They  incorporated 
and  began  their  work  by  building  a  driveway  and  they  have  since  cared 
for  the  cemetery  in  a  way  most  satisfactory  to  all. 

Two  prominent  business  men  left  Elkader  during  this  year. 
Henry  Meyer  who  had  been  serving  as  bank  examiner  went  to  Des 
Moines  to  accept  the  vice-presidency  of  the  First  National  Bank,  and 
Sen.  F.  D.  Bayless  moved  to  Prairie  du  Chien  where  he  organized  a 
sanitarium  company  with  a  capital  of  $100,000  and  later  established 
Bayless  College.  In  1903,  there  was  a  continuation  of  the  long 
struggle  between  the  citizens  of  Elkader  and  the  Milwaukee  railway. 
One  train  was  taken  off  and  the  only  train  left  arrived  at  11  :io  A.  M. 
and  left  within  an  hour  at  12:05.  The  business  men  held  a  meeting 
of  protest  and  at  once  began  to  take  interest  in  an  interurban  project, 
the  line  to  run  from  Oelwein  via  Arlington  and  Volga.  Double  train 
service  was  restored  within  a  few  weeks  after  the  state  railway  com- 
mission had  been  appealed  to,  but  the  interest  of  the  interurban  per- 
sisted and  at  a  meeting  held  in  February,  John  Jamison  of  Oelwein 
met  with  the  citizens  and  outlined  the  plans,  it  being  the  intention  to 
use  gasoline  motor  cars. 

Opera  House — In  February,  1903,  the  Turner  Opera  House, 
which  had  been  dedicated  but  a  short  time  before,  was  burned  to  the 
ground  and  Elkader  was  left  without  any  place  of  amusement.  The 
hall  had  been  built  in  1883,  at  a  cost  of  $2,500  but  in  1901,  improve- 
ments to  the  extent  of  $3,500  had  been  made  and  the  Opera  House  was 
a  paying  concern.  The  Turners  at  once  made  an  effort  to  rebuild,  but 
it  was  felt  desirable  to  build  on  a  much  larger  scale  and  thereupon 
action  was  taken  by  the  citizens  as  a  whole  and  an  Opera  House  com- 
pany was  organized  with  R.  E.  Price  as  president  and  L.  E.  Corlett  as 
secretary.  A  building  committee  consisting  of  William  Becker,  L.  J. 
Kramer,  J.  J.  Kann  and  L.  E.  Corlett  was  appointed.  Shick  and  Roth 
submitted  plans.  Stock  was  solicited  and  there  were  139  stockholders, 
the  largest  contribution  being  $200.  Ten  thousand  dollars  was  thus  raised 
and  the  Turners  donated  the  old  site  upon  certain  privileges  of  use 
being  given  them.  The  work  was  pushed  rapidly  and  the  grand  open- 
ing was  held  November  17,  1903,  with  the  play,  "The  Governor's  Son." 
The  ticket  sale  amounted  to  $2,213.  Not  content  with  this  improve- 
ment a  proposal  was  made  to  macadamize  the  business  streets,  but  this 
was  met  with  sharp  protest. 

Elkader  was  baseball  wild,  in  1903,  and  the  "Browns"  were  the 
heroes  of  the  day  and  their  defeats  and  victories  were  taken  very  much 


294  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  heart.  The  discovery  of  a  new  pitcher,  Roggman  by  name,  by 
whose  aid  Prairie  du  Chien  was  beaten,  7  to  3,  was  hailed  with  great 
dehght.  It  was  in  September,  1903,  that  the  Waukon  RepubHcan  had 
a  Uttle  fun  at  the  expense  of  Elkader  in  the  following  paragraph: 
"The  people  of  Elkader  are  now  craning  their  necks  all  on  account  of 
the  appearance  of  a  locomobile  just  bought  by  County  Attorney 
Davidson  and  the  query  now,  instead  of  'Have  you  seen  our  bridge?' 
will  be  'Have  you  seen  our  locomobile  ?' " 

In  January,  1904,  the  city  was  plunged  in  grief  over  the  death  of 
Henry  Beyer,  wife  and  daughter,  Grace,  who  perished  in  the  awful 
tragedy  at  the  Iroquois  fire  in  Chicago.  The  bodies  were  identified 
and  were  brought  to  Elkader  for  burial. 

May,  1904,  was  notable  for  a  reunion  of  Company  D,  Twenty- 
first  Iowa.  Many  friends  attended  and  many  letters  were  read  but 
there  were  but  seven  members  of  the  company  present.  The  first 
good  roads  association  in  Elkader  was  formed  in  May,  1905.  D.  D. 
Murphy,  John  Everall  and  W.  W.  Davidson  were  members  of  the 
committee  appointed  to  meet  with  the  council  to  urge  road  improve- 
ment and  as  a  result  $1,000  was  appropriated.  This  same  association 
secured  the  presence  of  D.  Ward  King,  in  January,  1906,  to  exhibit  his 
road  drag  at  Elkader.  The  semi-centennial  jubilee  of  the  Masonic 
lodge  of  Elkader  was  the  great  event  of  June,  1905.  There  was  a 
banquet,  addresses,  and  a  history  of  the  lodge  prepared  by  John  H. 
Hill,  and  many  visiting  Masons.  In  October,  a  proposition  was  made 
for  the  establishment  of  a  gas  company  and  in  the  following  month  this 
franchise  was  granted  by  a  vote  of  168  to  64  and  the  plant  was  erected, 
the  contract  being  let  in  July,  1906. 

The  Elvidge  Creamery  was  sold,  in  August,  1906,  to  the  Beatrice 
Creamery  Company  and  it  was  announced  that  the  manufacture  of 
butter  at  this  place  would  be  discontinued  and  the  cream  shipped  to 
the  company's  plant  at  Chicago.  It  was  in  this  month  also  that  the 
retail  merchants  of  the  county  organized  to  encourage  home  trade. 
M.  J.  PouU  was  president  and  J.  G.  Hempel,  who  had,  the  year  pre- 
vious, been  honored  by  appointment  as  a  member  of  the  state  voting 
machine  commission,  was  the  secretary.  The  first  farmers  institute  in 
Elkader  was  held  in  November,  1906,  and  P.  G.  Holden,  afterward  a 
candidate  for  Governor,  was  judge  of  the  corn  contest  and  delivered  a 
lecture  on  corn  culture.  In  August,  1908,  the  Register  purchased  the 
Argus  from  F.  L.  Wolf  &  Co.  and  continued  the  publication  under  the 
present  name  of  The  Register  and  Argus,  until  19 16,  when  the  "and 
Argus"  was  dropped,  thus  reducing  the  number  of  newspapers  in 
Elkader  from  four  to  three.  During  1908,  Elkader  was  much  inter- 
ested in  high  school  debating  contests,  the  Elkader  team,  consisting 
of  Malcom  Greenleaf,  Martha  Cameron  and  Loy  Molumby,  winning 
from  Osage,  but  later  losing  to  Cedar  Falls  for  the  championship  of 
northern  Iowa.  On  May  22,  1908,  the  Elkader  mills  were  burned  for 
the  second  time.  Henry  Wolf  discovered  the  fire  and  gave  the  alarm 
but  it  spread  rapidly  and  practically  nothing  was  saved  and  the  loss 
was  $30,000.  The  mill  was  built  in  1849,  was  destroyed  by  fire  Decem- 
ber 25,  i860,  and  was  wrecked  by  flood  in  1880.  Schmidt  Bros.  &  Co. 
proceeded  at  once  with  plans  for  rebuilding. 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  295 

The  inevitable  "booster  club"  made  its  appearance  in  1909.  This 
was  incorporated  and  the  officers  were  J.  F.  Becker,  president,  and 
F.  J.  Uriell,  secretary.  One  of  the  first  things  taken  up  was  the  inter- 
urban  project  from  Oelwein  and  $346  was  raised  for  a  preliminary 
survey.  The  Oelwein  Interurban  Company  was  formed  and  G.  H, 
Shoulte  of  Elkader  and  W.  A.  Smith  of  Volga  were  directors.  The 
survey  was  completed  in  December,  1909,  and  it  was  declared  that  the 
line  was  feasible,  that  the  average  grade  was  less  than  i  per  cent  and 
at  no  place  more  than  2  per  cent.  The  project,  however,  was  soon 
dropped  for  nothing  more  appeared  concerning  it.  One  of  the  old 
land  marks  of  Elkader  passed  away  when  the  little  round  church  was 
sold  and  torn  down.  This  was  the  church  built  by  the  Congregation- 
alists,  in  1857.  The  first  pastor  was  L.  P.  Mathews.  In  1870,  the 
building  was  sold  to  the  Universalists,  it  later  fell  into  the  hands  of 
James  Partch  who  willed  it  to  the  state  Universalists  society.  The 
old  bell,  bought  by  public  subscription,  in  1870,  was  sold  to  the  German 
church. 

The  Elkader  Commission  Company  of  which  W.  J.  Moran  was 
secretary,  held  a  meeting  in  March,  1910,  and  proposed  reopening  of 
the  creamery.  The  matter  was  pushed  and,  in  August,  arrangements 
were  made  with  Fritz  and  Gunderson,  to  start  November  i,  the  council 
to  repair  the  old  building.  In  1912,  there  were  three  projects  which 
interested  the  people.  The  booster  club  demanded  better  rail 
service  and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  secure  three  trains 
if  possible.  In  October,  N.  S.  Ketchum,  of  the  Iowa  Railroad  Com- 
mission visited  Elkader,  inspected  the  depot  and  yards  and  agreed  to 
urge  improvements  and  better  service.  There  were  no  results  from 
this  visit,  however,  and  in  September,  19 13,  the  boosters  were  still  at 
work,  asking  better  service.  In  December,  1914,  connections  at 
McGregor  for  Dubuque  were  discontinued  except  on  Friday  and  Satur- 
day, making  the  railroad  facilities  of  Elkader  poorer  than  before.  In 
May,  191 5,  there  was  a  wreck  at  Pony  Hollow  and  the  Register  com- 
plains that  there  are  hundreds  of  rotten  ties,  that  but  little  track  work 
had  been  done  and  the  whole  line  was  in  bad  condition.  During  the 
flood  of  1916,  there  was  no  service  for  nearly  a  month  and  at  present 
the  line  has  been  but  temporarily  repaired.  There  is  no  question  but 
that  Elkader  is  greatly  handicapped  by  inadequate  train  service,  and 
it  is  to  be  regretted  that  it  would  appear  from  the  record  that  the  rail- 
road company  has  made  no  concessions  to  Elkader,  during  all  its  his- 
tory, except  when  forced  to  do  so. 

School  Building — In  June,  1912,  a  proposition  was  presented  to 
the  people  for  a  bond  issue  of  $i2,cxx)  for  the  erection  of  a  new  school 
building.  The  vote  was  men,  yes  118,  no  81  ;  women,  yes  iii,  no  10, 
total  vote  being  yes  229,  no  91.  This  was'the  first  election' in  which 
the  women  of  Elkader  took  part.  A  contract  was  made  with  Fuelling 
and  Hinsch  of  Farmersburg  for  the  erection  of  the  school  building  at 
the  cost  of  $10,110  and  the  building  was  dedicated  in  February,  1913. 
At  this  time  Miss  Marie  Seward  was  acting  superintendent.  Superin- 
tendent Reinow  having  gone  to  Independence  after  eight  years'  service 
in  Elkader,  At  the  dedication  D.  D.  Murphy  delivered  the  address 
and  it  was  stated  that  Elkader  was  one  of  the  56  accredited  high  schools 


296  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON   COUNTY 

of  the  state.  In  19 14,  Prof.  J.  P.  Street  was  elected  superintendent 
and  under  his  charge  the  schools  have  been  developed  and  improved 
and  Elkader  is  now  a  member  of  the  North  Central  Association  of 
Colleges  and  Secondary  Schools.  The  new  building  is  of  brick  and  is 
well  constructed.  It  is  of  two  stories  height  with  large  basement  and 
contains  four  grade  rooms,  a  music  room  and  rooms  for  the  domestic 
science  and  manual  training  department.  The  school  also  has  an 
excellent  commercial  course,  and  with  the  old  building  is  well  equipped 
for  the  present  needs  of  the  city. 

The  year  1912  witnessed  the  founding  of  the  Auto  Club  with 
W.  W.  Davidson  as  president  and  W.  C.  Reimer  as  secretary  and  it 
also  was  the  first  year  in  which  oil  was  used  on  the  streets.  A  promi- 
nent social  event  of  the  year  was  the  twenty-fifth  anniversary  of  the 
service  of  Rev.  Father  F.  J.  Reilly  as  priest  of  the  Elkader  parish. 
The  kindly  Father  was  surprised  by  a  large  number  of  friends  and 
parishoners  and  D.  D.  Murphy  made  the  address  presenting  him  with 
a  purse  of  several  hundred  dollars.  It  was  during  1912,  also  that 
Schmidt  Bros.  &  Co.  planned  the  building  of  the  fine  concrete  dam 
which  now  harnesses  the  Turkey  river  at  Elkader  and  which  was  so 
thoroughly  tested  in  the  flood  of  1916.  The  work  was  pushed  to 
completion  and  was  finished  without  accident,  until  January,  1915. 
At  this  time,  in  blowing  out  the  cofferdam,  there  were  two  tremendous 
explosions  which  broke  window  lights  all  over  the  town  and  threw 
rocks  and  debris  for  several  blocks  in  all  directions,  A  fifteen-pound 
rock  went  through  the  roof  of  the  Register  and  Argus  office  and  the 
skyhght  of  Hales  Photograph  gallery  was  a  complete  wreck.  Follow- 
ing the  completion  of  the  dam  new  rates  were  adopted,  these  being 
12  cents  per  kilowatt  with  a  sliding  scale  of  discounts  and  a  power  rate 
of  5  cents  per  kilowatt.  The  company  with  its  new  machinery  now 
furnishes  power  to  Garnavillo  and  Guttenberg,  the  rates  charged  at 
these  places  being  2^^  cents  per  kilowatt. 

By  191 5,  the  city  was  able  to  announce  that  it  had  reduced  its 
debt  from  $7,000  to  $4,500  and  would  soon  be  able  to  reduce  it  still 
farther.  This  favorable  report  encouraged  those  anxious  for  further 
improvement  and  in  September,  19 15,  the  petition  for  paving  of  the 
Main  street  was  presented  to  the  council.  This  was  promptly  met  by 
remonstrance  stating  that  paving  was  "unnecessary,  extravagant  and 
unwise  at  this  or  any  time  in  the  near  future."  A  step  toward  paving- 
was  taken  when  M.  Tschirgi  &  Son  were  employed  to  fix  the  perma- 
nent grades  of  the  city  and,  in  June,  1916,  the  council  passed  a  resolu- 
tion of  necessity  looking  towards  paving  in  the  future  and  committees 
have  already  inspected  paving  in  other  cities  and  it  is  probable  that  in 
the  course  of  time  the  example  of  McGregor  will  be  followed. 

In  1915,  Elkader  sported  a  team  of  professional  ball  players.  A 
company  was  formed  with  R.  L.  Senneff  as  president  and  Carl 
Reinecke,  Jr.,  secretary.  The  business  men  pledged  financial  support, 
but  although  the  city  had  a  fine  team,  the  wet  season  made  it  a  financial 
failure  and  suit  is  now  pending,  relative  to  the  payment  of  the  guaran- 
tee fund.  In  19 16,  the  team  was  on  a  strictly  amateur  basis.  In  May, 
1915,  Elkader  adopted  a  curfew  ordinance  which  is  well  enforced.  As 
has  been  noted,  the  increasing  number  of  automobiles  has  made  this 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  297 

a  considerable  industry  in  Elkader.  The  auto  club  has  done  much 
to  promote  this  and  in  1914,  an  automobile  institute  was  held, 
although  the  attendance  was  disappointing.  Concerning  the  automo- 
bile industry  the  following  is  taken  from  the  Register  and  Argus: 

"Elkader  is  fast  becoming  prominent  in  northeastern  Iowa  as  an 
automobile  center  and  its  dealers  and  repair  shops  are  doing  an  enor- 
mous business.  Allen  Bros.,  Dittmer  &  Stallbaum,  and  the  Elkader 
Auto  Company  have  purchased  and  sold  about  150  new  machines  this 
year,  together  with  a  large  amount  of  supplies  and  accessories.  Their 
repair  shops,  together  with  the  vulcanizing  plant  of  C.  E.  Stone  for 
the  repair  of  tires,  are  the  best  in  this  whole  territory  and  widely 
recognized  as  such.  We  understand  the  gross  business  of  these  firms 
will  amount  to  from  $200,000  to  $250,000  this  year.  Elkader  is  to 
be  congratulated  upon  the  enterprise  of  these  firms  with  their  well 
equipped  repair  shops  and  skilled  mechanics."  There  was  much 
rejoicing  among  the  high  school  "fans"  when  the  Elkader  team  won 
the  county  declamatory  contest,  thus  securing  the  permanent  posses- 
sion of  the  county  cup.  This  cup  was  won  by  Elkader  in  1906-07-09- 
10-11-14-16;  by  Edgewood  in  1908  and  by  Guttenberg  in  1912-13. 

McGregor  Incidents — The  improvements  at  McGregor  during 
1900  exceeded  $50,000  and  these  were  continued  in  the  next  year,  when 
Dr.  H.  H.  Clark  founded  a  large  hospital  which  was  made  an  official 
hospital  of  the  Milwaukee  road.  In  April,  1901,  West  McGregor 
voted  to  discontinue  its  incorporation  and  to  become  part  of  McGregor 
proper,  thus  ending  the  official  career  of  Michael  Klein,  who  was  the 
first  and  last  mayor  of  West  McGregor,  holding  the  office  continuously 
for  22  years.  McGregor  Heights  continued  to  be  a  popular  resort  and 
in  July,  1901,  the  North  Eastern  Iowa  Veterans  held  a  two  days' 
reunion  there,  and  in  August  the  Modern  Woodmen  attracted  a  crowd 
of  5,000  from  cities  all  over  northeastern  Iowa.  The  Methodist  church, 
which  had  been  interested  in  the  Heights,  relinquished  its  claim  in  1902 
and  the  city  took  control  and  it  has  since  been  the  scene  of  annual 
Chautauqua  assemblies  and  has  become  famous  as  a  cool  and  beautiful 
resort,  many  delightful  summer  cottages  having  been  erected. 

Both  McGregor  and  North  McGregor  have  suffered  severely  by 
fires  as  well  as  by  floods.  In  January,  1903,  the  elevator  of  the  Spencer 
Grain  Co.  and  two  warehouses  were  burned ;  the  loss  in  buildings  and 
grain  reaching  $150,000.  In  December,  of  the  same  year,  the  Bergman 
opera  house  was  burned  and  the  stock  of  Kramer  Bros.  Clothing  Store 
destroyed,  the  loss  being  $60,000.  The  electric  light  plant  was  burned 
in  January,  1904,  and  in  January,  1906,  Kramer  Bros,  were  again 
burned  out  with  a  loss  of  $50,000.  In  August  of  the  same  year,  during 
an  electric  storm,  the  residence  of  Alfred  Wooden,  near  McGregor, 
was  struck  by  lightning  and  the  owner  killed.  There  were  several 
smaller  fires  and  in  March,  1910,  the  Wingen  saw  mill  at  North  Mc- 
Gregor, formerly  the  Flemming  plant,  burned  with  a  loss  of  $30,000 
and  in  the  following  December  the  Milwaukee  depot  and  the  hotel  at 
North  McGregor  were  consumed.  The  Berry  Hotel  was  opened  Oc- 
tober I,  1904,  with  James  Berry  as  proprietor,  and  it  was  the  finest 
hotel  between  Dubuque  and  St.  Paul. 

The  sensation  of  the  year  1902  was  the  mysterious  death  of  Henry 


298  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Wilson.  A  Miss  Lillian  Elsworth  was  arrested  in  connection  with  this 
death  and  told  many  conflicting  stories  concerning  it.  She  was  tried 
and  acquitt-ed.  At  the  trial  William  Wandell,  of  Edgewood,  was  fined 
$25  for  asking  a  juror  to  acquit.  According  to  Miss  Elsworth,  Wilson 
and  she  went  for  a  walk,  sat  down  upon  the  railroad  track  and  fell 
asleep.  She  heard  a  passing  train  and  then  found  that  Wilson  had 
been  run  over  and  killed.  There  were  marks  upon  the  body  which 
indicated  that  blows  had  been  struck  rather  than  that  the  injuries 
had  been  inflicted  by  a  train,  but,  while  other  arrests  were  made,  no 
one  was  punished  for  the  crime,  if  such  it  was. 

Pearl  Button  Industry — For  many  years  all  the  pearl  buttons  used 
in  America  were  manufactured  in  Austria,  where  labor  was  cheap. 
Under  the  McKinley  tariff  a  considerable  duty  was  levied  and  this 
prompted  the  opening  up  of  the  industry  in  America.  Muscatine 
was  the  first  center  of  the  pearl  button  industry  along  the  Mississippi. 
It  was  found  that  there  were  many  varieties  of  clam  shells  which  were 
suitable  and  the  industry  rapidly  spread  all  along  the  river.  Button 
factories  were  established  at  many  points  and  the  river  was  fairly  black 
with  the  boats  of  the  clam  diggers  and  little  settlements  sprang  up 
along  the  shores.  The  bed  of  the  stream  was  raked  and  the  shells 
carefully  dried  and  sorted.  Those  engaged  in  the  industry  were  able 
to  earn  from  $15  to  $25  a  week  and  the  factories  gave  employment 
to  many.  Added  to  this  certain  reward  for  the  shells,  there  was  the 
added  excitement  of  the  hunt  for  pearls.  Many  pearls  of  great  value 
were  found  and  a  man  who  was  a  poor  clam  digger  today  might  find  a 
fortune  in  any  rakeful.  With  this  great  lottery  in  which  the  capital 
prizes  were  sometimes  in  excess  of  $2,000,  it  is  no  wonder  that  the 
whole  river  front  was  excited.  There  were  pearl  buyers  at  all  the 
larger  cities.  In  1901,  Fred  Houdak  found  a  pearl  valued  at  $1,500. 
Ida  Brooks  found  an  egg-shaped  pearl  of  20  grains,  valued  between 
$20  and  $30  a  grain.  In  an  interesting  article  on  the  industry,  written 
for  the  Times  in  1903,  it  is  stated  that  the  highest  priced  pearl  found 
in  that  vicinity  sold  for  $2,000,  and  that  at  least  ten  pearls  had  been 
found  along  the  river  which  brought  the  finder  more  than  $1,000  each, 
although  many  of  lesser  value  were  found.  The  white  round  pearl 
was  the  most  valuable.  It  was  stated  that  in  1902  $1,500,000  was  paid 
to  the  clammers  along  the  300  miles  of  the  Mississippi  river.  The 
search  was  continued  throughout  the  winter  by  the  means  of  a  long 
fork  operated  through  a  hole  in  the  ice.  So  eager  was  the  search  that 
before  many  years  the  best  clam  beds  were  exhausted,  and  while  the 
business  is  still  carried  on  it  is  not  nearly  so  extensive  as  in  former 
years. 

During  the  height  of  this  industry,  a  button  factory  was  estab- 
lished at  McGregor,  concerning  which  the  Times  said : 

"The  pearl  button  factory  commenced  work  Tuesday  noon.  They 
have  24  tons  of  shells  on  hand,  which  will  probably  keep  them  busy 
for  four  or  five  weeks.  A  6-horsepower  water  motor  furnishes  the 
power.  One  man  can  probably  turn  away  about  800  pounds  a  day. 
The  process  is  simple  yet  interesting.  Ten  men  are  at  work  at  present 
turning  out  the  blanks.  The  blanks  go  by  two  different  names,  tips 
and  butts,  tips  being  those  secured  from  the  thin  end  of  the  shell,  and 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  299 

butts  those  from  the  shell's  thicker  portion.    The  blanks,  or  unfinished 
buttons,  are  of  different  sizes  also  and  the  price  paid  varies  with  both 
the  thickness  and  the  size.    The  standard  of  measure  is  a  line  one- 
fortieth  of  an  inch,  and  the  basis  of  price  paid  the  laborers  is  the 
gross,  14  dozen  to  a  gross.     For  tips,  14  lines  in  diameter,  4j/^  cents 
per  gross  is  paid;  16  lines,  5  cents;  18  lines,  5^  cents.     For  butts  the 
price  is  higher,  14  lines,  53^  cents;  16  lines,  6  cents.     This  average  of 
price  is  kept  up  to  24  lines,  the  largest  size,  for  which  10  cents  per 
gross  is  paid  the  laborer.    One  man  can  earn  as  high  as  $3.00  per  day 
by  keeping  constantly  at  work.     The  shells  are  soaked  in  water  be- 
fore grinding  and  a  constant  stream  of  water  is  kept  trickling  upon 
them  while  they  are  being  ground  to  avoid  dust.    The  proprietor  and 
manager,  Mr.  Houdek,  is  very  considerate  and  obliging  to  visitors." 
Sand  Mosaics — Another  industry  peculiar  to  McGregor  was  the 
making  of  beautiful  and  artistic  pictures  in  bottles   from  the  many 
colored  sands  found  in  the  Pictured  Rocks  near  McGregor.     This 
industry  was  so  unique  that  it  attracted  attention  not  only  in  this 
country  but  in  Europe,  and  the  following  is  an  extract  from  an  article 
published  in  "Lectures  Modernes,"  of  Paris,  in  July,  1903:     "About 
twenty  years  ago,  an  American  deaf  mute,  Andrew  Clemens  really 
sought  to  use  in  decoration  (picturing)  the  multicolored  sand  which  is 
found  in  abundance  in  the  vicinity  of  McGregor,  Iowa,  and  succeeded, 
before  his  lamented  early  death,  in  developing  the  idea  to  a  high  degree 
of  perfection.    His  brilliant  conception,  however,  seemed  in  danger  of 
being  forgotten,  when  Mr.  W.  S.  O'Brien,  manager  of  the  Union  Tele- 
graph office  at  McGregor,  took  up  the  problem  in  such  hours  of  leisure 
as  his  professional  avocations  left  him,  and  brought  it  happily  to  a 
successful  solution.    Let  us  visit,  then,  the  studio  of  the  Sand  Artist. 
The  equipment  of  the  'mosiaste'  is  simplicity  itself.     His  'palette'  com- 
prises a  case  of  boxes  in  fan  form,  divided  into  compartments,  each 
containing  sand  of  a  different  shade,  forty-one  in  all,  and  none  of  them 
artificial.     A  pencil  of  wood  is  his  only  'brush.'    With  a  small  spoon 
he  transfers  from  the  several  compartments  the  sands  into  a  glass 
bottle,  the  size  and  form  of  which  he  selects  according  to  the  object  or 
combination  he  wishes  to  represent,  then  by  means  of  the  little  wooden 
tools,  Mr.  O'Brien  arranges  the  sands  just  as  a  painter  applies  his 
colors  on  a  canvas.     He  succeeds  in  this  way  of  accomplishing  many 
beautiful  eflfects.    The  sand,  once  in  position  in  the  bottle,  is  pressed 
strongly  but  with  precaution  so  as  not  to  shatter  the  glass  envelope; 
then  the  mouth  of  the  bottle  is  cemented.    This  done,  no  shaking  or 
shock  can  disarrange  the  varicolored  particles  encased  in  this  hermet- 
ically sealed  enclosure. 

"One  would  imagine  that  the  sand  must  be  pasted  or  glued  upon 
the  interior  surface  of  the  glass  that  it  could  hold  so  firmly  in  position. 
Nevertheless  we  affirm  after  personal  verification  that  the  sand  has 
not  undergone  any  manipulation  whatever.  It  is  used  simply  dry  and 
as  nature  gives  it,  just  as  anyone  can  pick  it  up  from  its  veins  in  the 
'Pictured  Rocks'  near  McGregor.  Nothing  more  magnificent  to  con- 
template than  these  layers  and  veins  of  sand  combining  all  the  colors 
of  the  rainbow,  diversified,  clearcut,  distinct,  separate.  Upon  these 
monster  mountain  mosaics  of  nature  the  sun's  rays  play  with  marvelous 


300  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

effects,  while  in  the  midst  of  the  hills  are  running  and  singing  little 
brooks  and  rivulets,  jumping  like  frisking  lambkins  over  rocks  and 
forming  sparkling  cataracts  in  their  way  down  to  their  home  in  the 
bosom  of  the  great  'Father  of  Waters'  at  the  foot  of  the  bluffs." 

In  1902,  Peter  Fisher,  of  McGregor,  made  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful of  these  sand  bottles,  using  35  different  colored  sands. 

Proposed  National  Park — In  1909  a  movement  was  inaugurated  to 
have  the  beautiful  and  historic  Heights,  including  the  Pictured  Rocks 
and  Pike's  Peak,  with  its  awe-inspiring  view  of  the  great  Mississippi 
valley,  incorporated  into  a  national  park  and  preserved  for  future 
generations.  By  resolution  the  legislature  of  Iowa  endorsed  the  project, 
but  no  considerable  progress  was  made  until  Senator  W.  S.  Kenyon,  of 
Iowa,  took  an  active  interest  in  it.  In  December,  191 5,  a  national 
park  meeting  was  held  at  McGregor,  which  was  addressed  by  Senator 
Kenyon,  Congressman  Haugen,  State  Senators  Fellows  and  Quigley 
and  many  others.  At  this  time  a  committee  of  fire  was  appointed  to 
promote  the  project  of  having  the  Heights  from  two  to  three  miles 
below  McGregor  and  extending  back  from  the  river  for  a  depth  of 
from  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  a  mile  incorporated  into  a  national 
park.  As  a  part  of  its  work  this  committee  prepared  a  very  handsome 
folder,  giving  many  views  from  the  proposed  park  and  an  outline  of 
its  duty  and  the  points  of  historical  interest.  In  June,  1916,  through  the 
efforts  of  Senator  Kenyon,  an  appropriation  of  $500  was  made  for  an 
inspection  of  the  proposed  park  and  a  report  as  to  the  advisability  of 
its  adoption  by  the  government.  From  the  literature  prepared  by  the 
committee  the  following  description  of  some  of  the  beauties  of  the 
proposed  park  is  taken: 

Pike's  Peak — At  the  southern  extremity  of  the  park  and  dominat- 
ing the  landscape,  Pike's  Peak,  most  famous  of  the  Mississippi  hills, 
stands  sentinel.  The  view  from  its  summit  a  world  traveler  has  de- 
clared to  be  "the  finest  water  scene  in  America."  Facing  the  mouth 
of  the  Wisconsin  river,  as  it  does,  Pike's  Peak  was  the  first  land  seen 
by  white  men  on  the  discovery  of  the  Upper  Mississippi  and  overlooked 
the  stirring  events  which  took  place  about  the  confluence  of  the  Wis- 
consin and  the  Mississippi  rivers  in  the  beginnings  of  history.  It  was  a 
favorite  vantage  point  of  the  Indians  and  often  a  battle  ground. 

In  1805  Lieutenant  Zebulon  Pike,  the  great  explorer,  shelved  his 
boat  on  the  pebbly  shore  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  which  has  since  borne 
his  name,  climbed  to  the  top  and  planted  the  first  American  flag 
raised  in  the  Northwest. 

Pike's  Peak  is  now  a  favorite  picnic  and  camp  ground.  It  is 
reached  by  a  drive  of  three  miles  from  McGregor  and  by  two  trails 
from  the  river. 

Pictured  Rocks — Sequestered  in  a  valley  on  the  north  side  of 
Pike's  Peak  lies  Pictured  Rocks.  This  beauty  spot,  a  bit  of  the  Grand 
Canon  or  Yosemite  Valley  dropped  down  among  the  Mississippi  hills, 
is  reached  by  a  ten  minutes'  walk  from  the  bank  of  the  river.  The 
path  follows  up  a  stream  splashing  with  tiny  waterfalls  through  a 
ravine  so  deep  and  narrow  the  sun  only  penetrates  it  for  a  few  minutes 
at  noon.  Suddenly  you  emerge  in  a  sunlit  amphitheatre  formed  by  per- 
pendicular cliffs  of  colored  sand  two  hundred  feet  high,  varying  from 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  3OI 

glistening  ivory  to  the  most  brilliant  orange  and  scarlet.  More  than 
forty  colors  have  been  found.  They  lie  one  above  each  other  in 
horizontal,  curved,  zigzag  and  fantastically  broken  lines,  making  the 
whole  a  sand  mosaic  of  enchanting  beauty.  A  cave  of  dazzling  colors 
and  a  waterfall  nearly  a  hundred  feet  high  are  features  of  the  scene. 
Above  Pictured  Rocks  on  the  trail  leading  to  Pike's  Peak  is  Horseshoe 
Falls,  a  miniature  Minnehaha. 

Briefly  enumerating  the  few  of  the  more  important  items  of 
McGregor's  history  during  the  past  i6  years  it  is  found  that,  in  1901, 
the  J.  D.  Bickel  Produce  Company  was  founded,  with  cold  storage  and 
creamery  plant,  and  this  grew  to  be  a  large  industry.  In  1903,  a 
packet  steamer  reached  McGregor  direct  from  Chicago,  this  being  the 
first  since  1875.  In  1904,  the  Congregational  church  was  improved  at 
the  cost  of  $5,500.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  W.  R.  Motheral  invented 
the  motor  boat  which  developed  great  speed  and  was  one  of  the  fore- 
runners of  the  racers  of  today. 

THE  HAND  OF  DEATH 

As  might  have  been  expected  the  hand  of  death  dealt  heavily  with 
the  pioneers  during  the  opening  years  of  the  new  century,  and  until,  in 
1916,  there  are  but  few  living  who  took  part  in  the  active  history  of  the 
county  in  the  days  before  the  war.  There  are  a  number  living  who 
were  children  or  youths  at  that  time  but  of  those  who  have  arrived  at 
man's  estate  there  are  but  few.  Col.  J.  O.  Crosby,  of  Garnavillo  is  the 
most  notable  of  the  living  pioneers  today.  A  man  of  splendid  educa- 
tion and  of  marked  intellectual  powers  he  is  today  a  giant  among  meij 
despite  the  weight  of  more  than  90  years,  and  he  stands  today  as  almost 
the  lone  survivor  of  those  men  who  made  the  early  history  of  Clayton 
county  great. 

In  the  year  1900,  there  died  Patrick  Donlan,  one  of  the  pioneers 
of  Cox  Creek;  James  Davis,  who  came  to  Garnavillo  in  1848  and  who 
was  the  popular  sheriff  of  the  county  for  16  years  following  1855 ; 
C.  H.  Kuempel,  the  pioneer  cabinet  maker  of  Clayton,  whose  sons 
established  an  excelsior  factory  at  that  place  which  they  operated  until 
it  burned  in  1895 ;  J.  D.  Schmidt,  founder  of  the  Elkader  brewery  and 
later  the  partner  in  the  Elkader  mill  who  came  to  Read  township  in 
1848 ;  Thomas  D,  White,  the  pioneer  of  National  in  1853  and  later  a 
resident  of  Volga,  who  served  in  the  legislature  in  1876;  John  N.  Ham- 
ilton, who  for  18  years  following  1874  was  at  the  head  of  the  Elkader 
school  and  who  died  at  Sac  City. 

In  1901,  the  death  roll  included  James  M.  Crawford,  who  came 
to  Guttenberg  in  1847  ^"d  who  was  later  a  resident  of  Frenchton  and 
of  Clayton;  Milo  P.  Clark,  one  of  the  strong  men  of  Wagner  township, 
a  pioneer  of  1852;  A.  F.  Nichols,  a  councilman  of  Portland,  Oregon, 
who  died  in  Chicago  but  who  was  known  here  as  a  county  supervisor 
and  president  of  the  agricultural  association  and  who  was  buried  at  his 
old  home  at  Luana ;  Lars  Hulverson,  one  of  the  Norwegian  pioneers  of 
Read  township. 

In  1902,  there  died  Charles  Leibrook,  the  prominent  Elkader  mar- 
chant  who  came  to  this  country  from  Bavaria  in  1852;  P.  P.  Olmstead, 


302  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON   COUNTY 

one  of  the  founders  of  Monona  and  who  was  prominent  as  a  supervisor 
and  as  a  Republican  leader.  He  was  found  dead  in  a  puddle  on  his 
farm  near  Monona.  Dan  E.  Gleason,  an  1850  pioneer  of  Elkader; 
Fred  Pahlas,  who  came  to  Read  township  in  1857,  and  to  Elkader  in 
1889;  Mrs.  Thomas  Updegraff,  the  beloved  wife  of  the  congressman 
from  this  district  and  who  shared  with  him  all  the  hardships  as  well 
as  the  honors  of  his  distinguished  career;  John  D.  Welsh,  a  veteran 
pioneer  of  Volga ;  Fred  Cook,  who  came  to  Guttenberg  after  the  war, 
was  sheriff  in  1893  and  later  served  as  deputy  and  jailer;  Col.  J.  K.  P. 
Thompson,  who  died  at  Rock  Rapids  but  who  was  identified  with 
Clayton's  earlier  history,  having  been  a  member  of  the  Twenty-first 
Iowa,  and  having  studied  law  under  S.  T.  Woodward. 

Those  passing  to  the  Great  Beyond  in  1903  were  Henry  Wilker,  of 
Clayton  Center,  who  came  to  Garnavillo  in  1850;  Rev.  N.  W.  Bixby, 
who  died  at  Edgewood  at  the  age  of  94,  being  the  oldest  minister  in 
Iowa.  He  was  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist  faith  and  was  very  dearly 
beloved  by  all;  William  Monlux,  who  came  to  Wagner  township  in 
1855,  enlisted  in  Company  D,  Twenty-first  Iowa,  and  was  wounded  at 
Vicksburg.  Elected  supervisor  in  1893  he  served  six  years  and  was 
a  member  of  the  Elkader  council  at  the  time  of  his  death,  J.  G.  Hempel 
being  appointed  to  succeed  him ;  G.  G.  Nass,  the  postmaster  at  Gunder ; 
Major  Jenkins,  the  Vermont  Yankee  whose  early  days  were  spent  as 
a  sailor  and  who  came  to  Garnavillo  in  1845  ^^^  who,  at  the  time  of 
his  death  was  one  of  the  oldest  men  in  the  county,  being  98  years  of 
age;  H.  S.  Granger,  who  died  at  Philipsburg,  Kansas,  who  was  the 
founder  of  Clayton  county's  first  newspaper  in  1853,  who  read  law 
with  Samuel  Murdock,  was  a  partner  of  Reuben  Noble  and  who  was 
school  fund  commissioner  and  clerk  of  the  county  for  12  years  follow- 
ing i860;  Martin  Garber,  who  died  at  Garber,  Oklahoma,  but  who  was 
one  of  Clayton's  earliest  settlers,  having  been  deputy  auditor  under  Mr. 
Duff  and  succeeded  him  in  that  position. 

The  notable  deaths  of  1904  included  that  of  Lyman  Taylor,  the 
pioneer  builder  of  Elkader;  T.  C.  Palmer,  who  was  known  as  Uncle 
Tom  of  High  Prairie  in  the  early  days  and  who  was  postmaster  at 
Seigel;  E.  B.  Snedigar,  son  of  the  old  Elkader  postmaster,  a  veteran 
of  the  war  who  dropped  dead  while  at  his  work  in  Fayette  county; 
O.  D.  Oathout,  who  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1855  and  resided  on 
the  same  farm  until  his  death.  He  was  one  of  the  leading  educators 
and  did  good  work  as  county  superintendent ;  J.  J.  McCarthy,  born  in 
Cox  Creek  and  who  became  the  leader  of  the  Dubuque  bar;  John 
Kleinlein,  the  miller  of  Clayton,  who  was  killed  in  a  runaway  accident. 

William  Grain,  who  came  to  Sperry  township  in  1854  working  for 
75  cents  a  day  and  paying  35  per  cent  interest  for  the  money  for  which 
to  buy  his  first  farm  and  who  died  the  owner  of  more  than  800  fertile 
acres,  died  in  1905,  as  did  Peter  Helgeson,  the  oldest  citizen  of  Wagner, 
a  Norwegian  who  was  famed  as  a  hunter  and  trapper;  John  F. 
Bierbaum,  who  came  to  Guttenberg  in  1847  ^^d  afterward  lived  at 
Garnavillo,  Clayton  and  Monona;  Thomas  Kelleher,  one  of  the  Irish 
pioneers  of  Boardman  township  in  1855 ;  Capt.  W.  A.  Benton,  whose 
life  was  one  of  great  adventure.  He  came  to  McGregor  in  1856  and 
was    Captain    of    Company    G,    Twenty-first    Iowa,    post   master   of 


THE  NEW  CENTURY — I90O-I916  3O3 

McGregor  and  sheriff  for  six  years,  being  elected  in  1873.  His  life 
included  adventures  in  the  mines  of  California,  in  Australia  and  South 
America,  including  a  ship  wreck  off  San  Francisco. 

John  T.  Stoneman  died  at  McGregor  October  11,  1905.  He  came 
of  an  illustrious  family,  his  brother  being  a  major  general  in  the  Union 
army.  He  came  to  McGregor  in  1856  and  was  one  of  the  county's 
greatest  lawyers.  He  was  elected  state  senator  and  was  twice  a  can- 
didate for  congress  and  twice  received  the  support  of  the  democrats  of 
the  legislature  for  the  offtce  of  U.  S.  Senator.  He  moved  to  Cedar 
Rapids  in  1881,  where  he  was  judge  of  the  Superior  Court,  but  he 
spent  his  last  years  with  his  daughter,  Mrs.  A.  Chapin,  at  McGregor. 
In  the  same  year,  1905,  died  J.  F.  Thompson,  a  teacher,  journalist  and 
political  leader.  He  taught  the  schools  at  Elkader,  was  county  super- 
intendent from  1874  to  1878  and  was  clerk  of  the  county  and  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature.  He  moved  to  California  and  died  in  the  news- 
paper harness;  Orlando  McCraney,  a  prominent  figure  in  the  earlier 
days  and  who  boasted  that  he  had  laid  out  14  towns  in  Iowa  and  in 
California. 

S.  L.  Peck  was  a  beloved  pioneer  who  died  in  1906.  He  came  to 
this  county  in  1849,  studied  law  in  Elkader,  was  county  treasurer,  a 
partner  of  Judge  Williams  and  was  the  surveyor  of  the  county  all  but 
four  years  from  1869  until  1882.  His  last  years  were  spent  in  Ohio. 
Among  the  others  were  John  W.  Becker,  who  came  to  Jefferson  town- 
ship in  1853  ^^d  who  was  a  prominent  and  wealthy  citizen  of  Elkader 
after  1886;  Charles  Schecker,  a  veteran  of  the  Schleswig-Holstein  war 
who  came  to  Communia  in  1851.  He  enhsted  with  Company  D, 
Twenty-seventh  Iowa  and  was  sergeant  of  the  company,  post  master 
at  Elkport  1865-69,  deputy  surveyor  1870-74,  surveyor  1876-80, 
recorder  1881-84,  deputy  surveyor  1885-1905.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  the  oldest  surveyor  in  active  service  in  the  state.  He 
was  a  great  student  and  a  brilliant  writer  and  his  fiction  was  eagerly 
sought  by  the  periodicals  of  Germany.  Isaac  Havens  also  was  among 
those  who  died  in  1906.  He  was  a  Garnavillo  pioneer  of  1846,  and 
later  was  a  farmer  near  Elkader.  He  was  also  a  capitalist,  being  a 
promoter  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  Elkader  and  a  director  of  the 
First  National  Bank  of  McGregor.  During  the  early  days  he  served 
two  terms  as  sergeant-at-arms  of  the  general  assembly  at  Iowa  City. 

C.  C.  Bicknell  the  pioneer  hardware  and  furniture  dealer  who 
came  to  McGregor  in  1857,  ^^^^d  in  1902,  and  in  the  same  year  that 
city  mourned  the  loss  of  one  of  its  most  noted  pioneers,  George  L. 
Bass.  He  came  to  Galena  in  1842  with  but  five  shillings  capital.  In 
1850  he  crossed  the  river  in  a  skiff  to  McGregor  Landing  and  became 
a  partner  in  the  firm  of  Jones  and  Bass.  Two  years  were  spent  in 
California  when  he  again  became  a  merchant  at  McGregor.  He  sold 
his  business  to  Merrill  and  Barron  and  formed  the  Bass  and  Grant 
produce  company.  He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature  in  1861  and 
was  mayor  of  McGregor,  1859-60.  He  started  the  first  brickyard  and 
the  first  sawmill  at  McGregor,  helped  to  build  the  first  church,  was  a 
director  of  the  branch  of  the  Iowa  State  Bank,  in  i860,  and  was  the 
first  Worthy  Master  of  Beser  Lodge.  In  politics  he  was  a  democrat 
and  he  was  one  of  the  most  popular  citizens  of  McGregor. 


304  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

George  S.  C.  Scott,  who  died  in  1903,  was  a  McGregor  pioneer 
business  man.  He  was  one  of  the  charter  committee  for  McGregor  in 
1857  and  was  active  in  the  beginnings  of  the  church  and  the  Masonic 
lodge;  O.  W.  Crary,  who  died  in  1903,  was  a  large  land  owner.  He 
came  of  distinguished  family,  settled  in  Farmersburg  in  1848,  and  in 
Boardman  township  in  1857.  He  was  county  judge,  county  superin- 
tendent for  three  terms  and  state  senator  in  187 1.  J.  H.  Merrill,  who 
died  in  1904,  came  to  McGregor  with  his  brother,  afterward  Gov. 
Samuel  Merrill.  He  helped  organize  the  First  National  Bank  of 
McGregor  and  succeeded  his  brother  as  president  of  the  bank.  He 
moved  to  Des  Moines  in  1874. 

In  1907,  occurred  the  death  of  James  Humphrey  of  Monona  who  \ 
was  noted  for  his  wide  hospitality  and  who  came  to  Clayton  coUnty  in 
1852.  In  1908  the  county  lost  James  Ivory,  a  pioneer  of  Clayton; 
Okley  F.  Davis,  who  came  to  Elkader  in  1852,  was  a  member  of  the 
Fourth  Iowa,  landlord  of  the  Turkey  River  House  and  a  well  known 
builder  and  contractor. 

The  death  roll  of  1909  included  Herman  Ihm  of  Guttenberg,  a 
pioneer  of  1854,  a  soldier  during  the  war  and  a  prominent  business 
man,  having  been  mayor  in  1869  and  treasurer  of  the  Guttenberg 
Excelsior  Company;  David  Molumby,  who  settled  in  Highland  town- 
ship, in  1855 ;  J.  E.  Webb,  the  educator  who  taught  at  Graham,  Elkport 
and  Strawberry  Point  and  who  was  the  head  of  the  Elkader  school  for 
25  years.  He  was  elected  recorder  in  1904,  serving  two  terms.  His  ^ 
death  was  a  cause  of  universal  regret  at  Elkader  and  there  was  a 
large  public  funeral  at  which  eulogy  was  delivered  by  V.  T.  Price. 
Ezra  Hurd,  prominent  in  the  early  days,  a  veteran  of  the  Mexican  war, 
who  settled  in  Garnavillo  in  1846;  Dr.  Rudolph  Gmelin,  a  veteran  of 
the  Franco-Prussian  war,  who  lived  at  Guttenberg,  Elkader  and  Gar- 
navillo; Francis  K.  Robbins,  who  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1849  ^^^d 
who  helped  organize  Highland  township,  the  first  being  held  at  his 
home  in  1854,  and  his  son  James  being  the  first  child  born  in  the  town- 
ship; Edward  Reynolds  a  Clayton  pioneer  of  1849  ^^d  Lars  Hulverson, 
one  of  the  leaders  among  the  Norwegians  in  Wagner  township  in  1850. 

The  year  1910  witnessed  the  following  deaths:  J.  L.  Hagensick, 
who  came  to  Garnavillo  from  Bavaria  in  1853.  He  was  a  brewer  at 
Clayton  Center  and  McGregor  until  1865,  when  he  went  into  the  mer- 
cantile business.  He  was  the  founder  of  the  Hagensick  family  of 
Clayton  county ;  John  Anderegg  who  came  to  Jefferson  township  in 
i853)  was  a  veteran  in  Company  D,  Twenty-seventh  Iowa  and  who  was 
prominent  in  this  community;  Fred  Bergman,  a  pioneer  of  McGregor 
in  1846  and  a  prominent  business  man  of  that  city;  D.  G.  Griffith,  the 
veteran  editor  of  the  Elkader  Register,  a  man  who  had  a  splendid 
war  record  with  the  Second  New  York  Heavy  Artillery  and  who 
founded  the  Register  together  with  G.  A.  Fairfield  in  1880.  He  was 
post  master  at  Elkader  and  served  three  terms  as  mayor.  His  thirty 
years'  record  as  an  editor  was  a  brilliant  one  and  he  was  a  leader  in  his 
community;  Rev.  F.  W.  Seifert,  a  man  of  heroic  mold,  a  leader  in  the 
German  Revolution.  He  came  to  this  country  and  taught  school  at 
Elkport.  While  working  at  a  sawmill  he  met  with  an  accident  and 
both  his  legs  were  frozen  so  that  amputation  was  necessary.     In  this 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  305 

crippled  state  he  entered  the  ministry  at  Clayton  Center  in  1862  and 
was  pastor  of  the  churches  there,  at  Elkader  and  Farmersburg  for 
many  years.  He  retired  in  1903  and  he  was  one  of  the  best  loved  and 
most  highly  respected  men  in  the  county.  The  death  of  Thomas 
Updegraff,  whose  biography  appears  in  another  chapter,  also  occurred 
in  1910,  as  did  also  that  of  H.  S.  Merritt,  who  was  known  for  many 
years  at  Elkader  as  an  abstractor,  business  man  and  expert  accountant, 
and  Gilbert  Cooley,  who  for  ten  years  was  post  master  of  Strawberry 
Point.  He  settled  in  Cass  township  in  the  '50s,  was  a  member  of  the 
Twenty-first  Iowa  and  was  a  leading  Union  man  and  Republican  of 
his  community.  He  died  suddenly  of  heart  failure  while  post  master 
at  Strawberry  Point.  His  son,  Edwin  G.  Cooley,  was  superintendent 
of  the  schools  of  Chicago. 

In  1912,  the  first  death  of  a  pioneer  recorded  was  that  of  C.  S. 
Bickel,  who  settled  in  Giard  township  in  1853.  He  was  the  head  of  the 
Bickel  family  whose  family  reunions  were  notable  events  in  Giard 
township  for  a  number  of  years.  Others  dying  in  1912,  were  Dr.  L.  L. 
Renshaw,  of  Monona,  who  was  born  in  National  in  1856  and  who  was 
practicing  physician  at  IMonona.  He  was  a  surgeon  for  the  Milwaukee 
railway  and  a  member  of  the  pension  board  for  20  years.  He  was  one 
of  the  organizers  of  the  Monona  State  Bank.  J.  E.  Corlett,  familiarly 
known  as  Uncle  John,  settled  in  Farmersburg  in  1855.  He  was  promi- 
nent in  the  County  and  was  for  a  number  of  years  the  secretary  of  the 
county  agricultural  society. 

In  January,  1913,  occurred  the  death  of  Joseph  Eiboeck,  one  of  the 
most  prominent  editors  of  Iowa  who  has  already  become  familiar^  to 
the  readers  of  this  history  as  the  editor  of  the  Elkader  Journal  during 
its  early  days.  He  was  born  in  Hungary  in  1838  and  came  to  Dubuque 
in  1849.  Coming  to  Clayton  county,  he  taught  school  at  Garnavillo 
and  bought  the  Garnavillo  Journal  in  1858.  He  served  a  short  time  in 
the  army  but  was  relieved  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was  the  editor 
of  the  Elkader  paper  until  1872,  when  he  went  to  Des  IMoines  and 
founded  the  Anzeiger,  which  became  the  leading  German  paper  of  the 
stat::^-  in  1874.  During  these  years  he  traveled  widely,  was  a  great 
student  and  was  a  man  of  national  reputation.  He  had  strong  per- 
sonality and  great  strength  of  character.  He  contended  with  the  many 
hardships  of  pioneer  journalism  and  established  a  high  standard  of 
editorial  excellence  in  this  county.  While  a  resident  of  Elkader  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Fannie  Garrison  of  Cedar  Falls,  Iowa,  and  they 
celebrated  their  golden  wedding  but  a  few  months  before  his  death. 
His  wife  survived  him  but  a  few  days.  Mr.  Eiboeck  must  be  accounted 
as  one  of  the  greatest  men  who  have  made  Clayton  county  their  home. 

L.  H.  Place  died  in  Nevada  in  1913.  He  came  to  Elkader  in  1858 
and  was  one  of  the  leading  merchants.  He  served  as  sheriff  for  six 
years  and  his  remains  were  brought  to  Elkader  for  burial;  W.  R. 
Kinniard,  who  founded  the  first  bank  in  the  county,  at  McGregor,  died 
in  Idaho  Falls  in  1913.  The  year  1914  brought  death  to  a  number  of 
the  older  residents  among  whom  were  Herbrand  Knudson,  the  pioneer 
merchant  of  Farmersburg;  Joseph  Lamm,  who  was  for  many  years 
prominent  in  Elkader.  He  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1853  as  a  boy 
of  five,  was  deputy  postmaster  in  1869  and  the  first  mail  clerk  on  the 


306  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

Iowa  Eastern.  He  was  a  merchant  in  Elkader  after  1878  and  was 
station  agent  from  1878  until  1892.  His  efforts  to  keep  traffic  open  to 
Elkader  merchants  have  been  already  noted.  His  later  years  were 
employed  as  a  grain  dealer  and  business  man  in  Elkader.  V.  R.  Miller, 
one  of  the  earliest  pioneers  of  McGregor,  G.  J.  M.  Dittmer,  a  pioneer 
musician,  who  settled  in  Jefferson  township  in  1850;  G.  H.  Shoulte, 
the  popular  mayor  of  Elkader  for  12  years.  He  was  born  in  Clayton 
township  in  1866,  taught  school  at  Clayton  and  was  educated  at  Ames, 
Iowa  City  and  in  the  law  office  of  W.  A.  Preston.  In  1894  he  entered 
the  firm  of  Everall  and  Shoulte.  He  was  elected  mayor  in  1902  and 
represented  the  county  in  the  legislature.  He  was  elected  county 
attorney  in  1912  and  had  just  been  renominated  at  the  time  of  his 
death.  His  death  came  as  a  great  shock  to  Elkader  people  and  there 
was  a  large  public  funeral  at  which  Mr.  D.  D.  Murphy  delivered  the 
eulogy.  Others  were  Fred  Groth,  the  well  known  bridge  builder  of 
Guttenberg,  who  was  supervisor  in  1910-12;  Luther  P.  Pugh,  who 
came  as  a  boy  to  Clayton  county  and  lived  at  Pugh  Hollow  near 
Mederville,  being  the  last  of  the  pioneers  of  that  neighborhood.  He 
was  a  member  of  Company  D,  Twenty-first  Iowa ;  and  other  deaths 
from  the  ranks  of  that  company  were  William  Kellogg,  Alfred 
McLane,  Robert  Parr,  S.  T.  Richards,  George  Densmore,  Thomas 
Fisher  and  Harvey  King.  C.  F.  Bevins  died  at  Sanborn,  Iowa.  He 
was  a  resident  of  Volga  for  52  years  and  was  known  as  a  teacher  and 
a  business  man.  The  death  of  Martin  Dittmer,  in  November,  1914, 
came  as  a  sudden  shock  to  the  entire  county.  He  had  been  active  in 
politics  and  was  sheriff  from  1904-11.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  which 
occurred  following  an  operation  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  he  was  engaged 
in  the  implement  and  automobile  business  at  Elkader. 

Death  losses  among  the  pioneers  in  19 15  were  as  follows:  John 
Van  Staden,  who  was  associated  with  Michael  Klein  in  the  brewery  at 
West  McGregor  and  who  represented  Clayton  county  in  the  legislature 
in  1879;  Alvah  F.  Rogers,  who  was  born  in  Garnavillo  in  1859  and 
was  known  as  a  teacher  and  as  post  master  of  Farmersburg;  J.  W. 
Libby,  who  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  89,  having  come  to  Elkader  in 
1852  and  being  a  charter  member  of  the  Masonic  lodge.  Although  not 
a  resident  of  this  county,  C.  T.  Granger,  who  died  in  1915,  was  promi- 
nent in  the  history  of  the  county.  He  settled  in  Allamakee  county  in 
1854  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  i860.  He  was  captain  of  Com- 
pany K,  Twenty-Seventh  Iowa,  and  after  the  war  was  elected  district 
attorney,  this  county  being  in  his  district.  Later  he  served  as  district 
judge  and  was  elected  to  the  supreme  bench  in  1889,  and  was  chief 
justice  in  1885.  He  was  a  candidate  for  congress  in  this  district  in 
1874.  He  was  a  republican  and  was  recognized  as  one  of  the  ablest 
jurors  of  the  state. 

In  March,  1916,  occurred  the  death  of  Mathew  Fitzpatrick.  He 
came  as  a  child  to  Cox  Creek  township,  in  1865,  studied  law  with  W.  A. 
Preston  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1883.  He  was  deputy  treasurer 
in  1884  and  was  for  three  terms  recorder  of  Clayton  county.  In  July, 
1916,  occurred  the  death  of  E.  M,  Paul,  who  had  been  agent  of  the 
Milwaukee  at  Elkader  for  many  years,  who  had  taken  an  active  part  in 
the  life  of  the  city  and  who  was  the  oldest  railroad  man  in  the  county 


THE  NEW   CENTURY — I9OO-I916  307 

in  point  of  service.  In  October,  1907,  James  Schroeder  died  at  Gutten- 
berg,  where  he  had  been  postmaster  for  many  years.  He  came  to 
Guttenberg  in  1854;  in  1862  he  was  appointed  assistant  revenue  col- 
lector. He  was  appointed  postmaster  ot  Guttenberg  in  1867  and  held 
the  office  imtil  the  time  of  his  death,  with  the  exception  of  the  years 
during  the  second  Cleveland  administration.  He  was  a  warm  personal 
friend  of  Senator  W.  B.  Allison. 

Tzventieth  Century  Politics — Politically  the  century  was  opened 
with  the  second  battle  between  William  AlcKinley  and  William  J. 
Bryan.  The  Republican  party  was  well  united  and  confident  of  suc- 
cess. Although  "expansion"  was  said  to  be  the  paramount  issue  in 
this  campaign,  those  Democrats  opposed  to  free  silver  had  not  forgot- 
ten the  campaign  of  1896  and  were  still  opposed  to  Bryan  on  that  issue. 
This  aided  the  Republicans  in  their  campaign  and  McKinley  received  a 
majority  of  nearly  500.  For  the  major  county  officers  the  Republican 
candidates  were  nearly  all  candidates  for  reelection  and  they  ran  well 
with  their  ticket.  There  was  one  close  contest,  that  between  S.  J. 
Beddow,  Republican,  and  John  H.  Hill,  Democrat,  for  recorder.  On 
the  face  of  the  returns  Hill  was  elected  by  three  majority.  Beddow 
brought  a  contest  and  H.  D.  Jenkins,  T.  J.  Sullivan  and  John  Everall 
were  the  commissioners  who  made  the  recount.  The  contest  took  six 
days  and,  as  a  result,  Hill  was  declared  elected  by  a  majority  of  19. 
During  this,  and  preceding  years,  there  had  been  growing  divisions  m 
the  Republican  ranks.  Those  who  had  had  control  of  the  party 
machinery  came  to  be  known  as  "stand-patters"  and  the  opposing 
faction  was  led  by  A.  B.  Cummins.  Mr.  Cummins  was  successful 
in  securing  the  Republican  nomination  for  governor  in  1901.  It  was 
during  this  campaign  that  Mr.  Cummins  visited  Clayton  county  and  in 
driving  from  Osborne  with  his  friend,  J.  G.  Hempel,  their  team 
became  frightened  and  ran  away,  both  men  being  hurt,  but  fortunately 
neither  of  them  seriously.  The  Republicans  of  Clayton  county  were 
largely  in  favor  of  Cummins  and  his  nomination  strengthened  their 
ticket. 

In  September,  1901,  came  the  news  of  the  assassination  of  Pres- 
ident McKinley,  the  third  president  of  the  United  States  to  fall  a 
victim  of  the  assassin's  bullet.  The  general  grief  over  this  national 
tragedy  took  much  of  the  ordinary  rancor  from  the  campaign.  With 
the  death  of  McKinley  was  added  a  new,  unknown  but  vital  factor  to 
American  politics  when  Theodore  Roosevelt  succeeded  to  the  pres- 
idency. In  Clayton  county  A.  B.  Cummins  received  a  majority  of 
nearly  300.  J.  C.  Flenniken,  Republican,  was  elected  representative. 
The  popular  Democratic  officials,  Reugnitz  for  treasurer,  Benton  for 
sheriff  and  Adam  for  superintendent,  were  reelected,  the  Republicans 
securing  the  balance  of  the  officers.  Henry  Meder  was  elected  super- 
visor over  J.  F.  Schug,  Democrat,  by  seven,  and  this  provoked  another 
contest.  Mr.  Meder,  who  was  chairman  of  the  board,  resigned  that 
he  might  not  be  called  upon  to  serve  as  a  judge  of  the  contest.  As  a 
result  of  the  recanvass,  Meder  was  declared  elected  by  5  majority.  Mr. 
Flenniken  was  the  first  Republican  representative  from  Clayton  county 
since  1881. 

Death  of  Chas.  Reugnits — The  great  political  sensation  of  1902 


308  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

was  the  death  of  Charles  Reugnitz.  This  occurred  suddenly  on  May 
25.  Mr.  Reugnitz  was  one  of  the  most  popular  men  the  county  ever 
knew.  He  was  treasurer  for  seventeen  years  and,  at  a  number  of  the 
elections,  he  had  no  opposition  and  when  he  did  he  was  easily  the  vic- 
tor. It  was  found  that  his  books  were  in  chaotic  condition.  Hempel, 
Hill  and  Hagensick  were  appointed  to  investigate  and  they  found  a 
shortage  of  $9,148,  and  this  was  afterwards  increased  as  other  matters 
came  to  light.  Twenty  of  his  bondsmen  paid  $400  each  of  this  deficit 
and  the  balance  was  made  good  by  the  family.  It  was  the  unanimous 
verdict  that  Mr.  Reugnitz  did  not  benefit  personally  by  the  sum  lost  to 
the  county,  but  rather  that  he  was  a  too  obliging  friend  and  had  loaned 
money  which  was  never  repaid. 

The  prohibitionists  placed  a  full  county  ticket  in  the  field,  in  1902, 
but  the  vote  was  not  a  considerable  factor.  The  main  fight  of  the  cam- 
paign centered  about  the  office  of  auditor  and  there  was  a  close  race 
between  J.  G.  Hempel  and  Otto  German,  Mr.  Hempel  winning  by  a 
majority  of  18.  This  was  the  only  close  contest,  the  Republicans 
carrying  the  county  by  115  and  electing  Hempel,  Costigan  and 
Davidson  while  the  democrats  held  the  offices  of  recorder  and  treas- 
urer with  James  Carroll  and  W.  F.  Reinecke.  J.  F.  Becker,  the 
Republican  nominee,  had  been  appointed  treasurer  upon  the  death  of 
Reugnitz  and  Reinecke  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy,  taking  his  office 
in  November,  1902. 

In  the  election  of  1903,  A.  B.  Cummins  was  again  a  candidate  for 
governor.  He  spoke  at  Garnavillo  during  the  campaign  and  was 
greeted  by  a  large  torch  light  parade.  His  popularity  aided  the  Repub- 
licans and  they  made  a  clean  sweep  of  the  county  except  that  W.  F. 
Reinecke  was  reelected  treasurer  and  Martin  Dittmer  was  elected 
sheriff. 

The  Roosevelt  Campaign — Theodore  Roosevelt  was  the  Repub- 
lican candidate  in  1904  and  Alton  B.  Parker  was  the  Democratic  candi- 
date for  president.  Mr.  Parker  was  a  conservative  Democrat  and  was 
not  popular  with  the  enthusiastic  followers  of  Bryan.  The  national 
contest  was  one-sided  and  Roosevelt  carried  every  northern  state  by 
large  majorities.  The  sentiment  of  the  nation  was  reflected  in  Clayton 
county  and  Roosevelt  received  the  largest  Republican  majority  (711) 
given  in  this  county  since  Grant  was  a  candidate  for  president,  in  1872. 
This  was  a  "tidal  wave"  and  the  Republicans  were  largely  successful. 
The  Democrats  elected  T.  L.  Harvey,  auditor,  and  M.  X.  Geske,  attor- 
ney, the  balance  of  the  ticket  being  Republican.  For  recorder  J.  E. 
Webb,  the  popular  Elkader  school  superintendent,  defeated  James 
Carroll  by  23  votes  and  L.  S.  Fisher  defeated  L.  B.  Blanchard  by  16 
votes.  Both  of  these  elections  were  contested  and,  upon  the  recount, 
the  majorities  of  both  Webb  and  Fisher  were  increased  to  35. 

At  this  election  a  constitutional  amendment  for  biennial  elections 
was  voted  on.  Clayton  county  gave  an  adverse  majority  of  707,  but 
the  amendment  carried  in  the  state  and  as  a  result  there  were  no  elec- 
tions in  the  odd-numbered  years  thereafter. 

J.  G.  Hempel  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the  Republican  state 
central  committee,  in  1902,  as  supporter  of  the  Cummins  faction  and 
this  county  had  been  strong  in  Cummins'  support.     At  the  election  of 


THE  NEW  CENTURY — 19OO-I916  309 

1906,  however,  Mr.  Cummins  was  opposed  by  C.  R.  Porter,  who  had 
the  united  support  of  his  party.  This,  together  with  the  growing  divi- 
sion of  the  RepubHcan  ranks,  reduced  the  m.ajority  in  this  county  to 
76  and  the  majority  of  the  Democratic  county  ticket  was  elected.  C.  H. 
Schulte  succeeded  Flenniken  as  representative,  Harvey  for  auditor, 
Reinecke  for  treasurer,  Dittmer  for  sheriff,  Geske  for  attorney,  Adams 
for  superintendent  were  among  the  democrats  elected ;  while  the 
Republicans  were  Roy  Webb  for  clerk,  J.  E.  Webb  for  recorder,  Ole 
Nelson  for  surveyor,  W.  J.  Bierman  for  coroner  and  H.  A.  Mallory, 

A.  S.  Houg  and  L.  S.  Fisher  for  supervisors. 

Election  of  igo8 — Ninteen  hundred  eight  was  another  presiden- 
tial election  with  William  H.  Taft,  Republican,  and  William  J.  Bryan, 
Democrat,  as  opposing  candidates  for  president.     The  money  panic,  in 

1907,  was  a  weakening  influence  for  the  Republicans,  as  was,  also,  the 
growing  contention  between  the  stand-patters  and  the  Progressives 
of  that  party.  This  was  reflected  in  the  politics  of  the  state  and  there 
was  a  sharp  contest  for  the  Republican  nomination  for  governor. 
Among  the  Clayton  county  men  urged  for  office  were  J.  G.  Hempel, 
who  was  brought  forward  as  a  candidate  for  state  auditor,  but  who 
refused  to  enter  the  race  and  for  elector  B.  W.  Newberry  of  Straw- 
berry Point,  who  at  this  time  nearly  lost  his  life  by  being  bitten  by  a 
rattlesnake. 

The  First  Primary — Nineteen  hundred  eight  was  the  year  of  the 
first  primary  election.  The  first  primary  petitions  in  this  county  were 
filed  by  George  Fletcher  as  a  candidate  for  attorney  and  by  George 
Losch  as  a  candidate  for  sheriff.  The  supreme  contest  among  the 
Republicans  was  for  the  office  of  United  States  senator,  with  William 

B.  Allison  and  A.  B.  Cummins  as  opposing  candidates.  This  was  the 
most  bitter  contest  any  party  has  ever  known  in  Iowa  and  served  to 
widen  the  breach  between  the  two  wings  of  the  party.  In  this  county 
Cummins  received  a  majority  of  144,  but  in  the  state  Allison  won  by 
20,000.  In  the  primary  there  were  contests  in  the  Democratic  party 
for  congress,  between  A.  J.  Anders  and  M.  B.  Guiser  with  Anders  the 
victor  ,in  this  county,  although  not  in  the  district.  For  county  officers 
among  the  Democrats,  D.  F.  Willmes  defeated  T.  L.  Harvey  for  audi- 
tor, M.  B.  Bishop  defeated  O.  C.  Friend  for  clerk,  Martin  Dittmer 
defeated  P.  J.  Ryan  for  sheriff  and  the  balance  of  the  Democratic  ticket 
was  not  contested.  Among  the  Republicans  B.  F.  Carroll  defeated 
Warren  Garst  for  governor,  C.  J.  Cords  defeated  C.  H.  Williamson 
for  auditor,  Embertson  won  over  J.  A.  Kramer  for  clerk,  G.  Losch 
defeated  J.  H.  Schmidt  for  sheriff,  D.  E.  Livingood  defeated  D.  M. 
Dahn  for  superintendent  and  F.  J.  Corlett  defeated  A.  S.  Houg  for 
supervisor.     Less  than  60  per  cent  of  the  vote  was  cast  at  this  primary. 

Before  the  election,  in  November,  William  B.  Allison,  the  aged 
senior  senator  from  Iowa,  died  and  the  question  of  the  senatorial  suc- 
cession was  reopened.  Friends  in  this  district  urged  G.  N.  Haugen  as 
a  candidate  but  he  refused  to  nm.  A  special  session  of  the  legislature 
was  called  and  a  law  passed  which  permitted  the  republicans  to  hold 
a  primary  for  senator  in  connection  with  the  regular  election  of  Novem- 
ber, 1908.  The  opposing  factions  of  the  party  lined  up,  with  A.  B. 
Cummins  as  the  representative  of  the  progressives  and  congressman 


310  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON    COUNTY 

J.  F.  Lacey  as  the  leader  of  the  stand-patters.  In  this  primary  Mr. 
Cummins  was  an  easy  victor,  but  these  battles  among  themselves,  con- 
tinuing to  the  very  eve  of  the  election,  left  the  republicans  in  no  trim 
to  meet  the  Democratic  opposition.  Another  factor  in  this  county  was 
the  increasing  activity  of  the  prohibition  campaign,  H.  C.  Barber,  pres- 
ident of  the  Iowa  anti-saloon  league,  touring  the  county  in  the  early 
months  of  the  year.  In  Clayton  county,  therefore,  in  1908  the  Demo- 
crats won  a  sweeping  victory,  carrying  the  county  for  Bryan  by  253 
and  electing  every  candidate,  except  J.  W.  Forward,  who  was  defeated 
by  C.  F.  Meier  for  treasurer  in  the  closest  election  ever  held  in  this 
county,  Mr.  Meier's  majority  being  but  a  single  vote ;  and  L.  A.  Zearley 
who  was  defeated  for  coroner  by  60  majority,  by  W.  J.  Bierman.  By 
1910,  the  breach  in  the  Republican  ranks  had  widened.  In  the  pri- 
maries Warren  Garst  carried  the  county  by  136  over  B.  F.  Carroll  for 
governor.  In  other  Republican  contests  Douglas  Brown  defeated 
George  Losch  for  sheriff  and  L.  S.  Fisher  defeated  F.  J.  Corlett  for 
supervisor.  Among  the  Democrats  there  were  no  primary  contests 
except  for  sheriff,  E.  Bergemeyer  winning,  by  36  plurality,  in  a  three- 
cornered  contest  with  D.  L.  Barton  and  J.  K.  Molumby. 

Murphy-Haugen  Contest — Early  in  1909,  the  name  of  D.  D. 
Murphy  had  been  proposed  as  the  democratic  candidate  for  congress. 
Mr.  Murphy  stood  well  with  the  Democrats  of  the  district,  was  a 
brilliant  orator,  a  successful  lawyer  and  known  as  one  of  Iowa's  leading 
educators.  On  the  other  hand  the  position  of  Republican  congressmen 
between  the  two  factions  was  exceedingly  critical.  Neither  Haugen, 
Republican,  nor  Murphy,  Democrat,  had  opposition  for  the  nomina- 
tion, but  in  the  election  Mr.  Murphy  gave  Mr.  Haugen  the  only  close 
race  he  has  had  in  his  long  congressional  career.  At  the  November 
election,  1910,  Clayton  county  had  a  Democratic  landslide.  Porter 
carried  the  county  for  governor  by  754,  while  Mr.  Murphy  for  congress 
received  the  large  majority  of  1,402.  The  only  Republican  elected  was 
C.  F.  Meier  who,  for  his  second  term  for  treasurer,  received  a  majority 
of  679.  Mr.  Murphy  at  the  urgent  request  of  his  Democratic  friends 
contested  the  election  with  Mr.  Haugen  and  this  contest  was  not 
decided  until  May,  19 12,  when  Haugen  was  declared  elected  by  the 
committee  of  the  House  of  Representatives. 

Campaign  of  ipi2 — By  1912,  matters  had  gone  from  bad  to  worse 
with  the  Republican  party.  At  the  Chicago  convention,  W.  H.  Taft 
was  renominated,  but  not  until  after  there  had  been  a  most  bitter  con- 
vention fight  which  resulted  in  the  withdrawal  of  the  progressives 
under  the  leadership  of  Theodore  Roosevelt  and  his  nomination  at  the 
head  of  a  third  party.  Very  naturally,  this  affected  Republican  poli- 
tics in  every  state  and  county.  In  August,  1912,  H.  L.  Griffith  issued 
a  call  for  a  progressive  county  convention.  This  was  held  and  H.  L. 
Griffith,  F.  L.  Wellman,  C.  F.  Meier,  Charles  Monlux,  R.  G.  Kingsley, 
O.  O.  Johnson,  F.  S.  Richards,  F.  L.  Williams  and  E.  O.  Glesne  were 
the  delegates  to  the  Progressive  state  convention.  Mr.  Griffith  was 
chairman  of  the  county  committee.  The  Progressives  placed  no 
county  ticket  in  the  field,  but  made  an  aggressive  fight  for  their  national 
ticket.  A.  J.  Carpenter  was  chairman  of  the  Republican  central  com- 
mittee and,  at  the  county  convention,  F.  C.  Gilmore,  D.  W.  Meier,  W. 


THE  NEW   CENTURY I9OO-I916  3II 

W.  Davidson,  A.  Porter,  A.  C.  Boyle,  V.  T.  Price,  E.  C.  Spaulding, 
J.  E.  Reilly,  Charles  Newberry,  J.  E.  Robertson,  J.  F.  Widman  and 
W.  J.  Bierman,  Jr.,  were  delegates  to  the  judicial  convention.  At  the 
primary  election,  June,  19 12,  the  Republicans  had  contests  for  United 
States  senator,  governor  and  congressman,  and  the  Democrats  for 
governor  and  for  congressman.  There  were  no  contests  for  county 
nominations  and  the  vote  was  very  light  on  this  account,  less  than 
2,000  votes  being  cast  in  the  county.  P.  G.  Holden  carried  the  county 
by  a  plurality  of  31  for  the  Republican  gubernatorial  nomination. 

In  the  November  election  the  Republican  vote  was  divided  almost 
in  two,  Roosevelt,  Progressive,  having  a  majority  of  232  over  Taft, 
Republican,  and  Wilson,  Democrat,  receiving  a  plurality  of  1,448.  The 
Republicans  were  more  united  for  governor  and  the  plurality  of  E.  G. 
Dunn,  Democrat,  was  846.  On  the  county  ticket  Adam,  Graf  and 
Becker,  Republicans,  were  elected  for  auditor,  treasurer  and  superin- 
tendent, the  balance  of  the  ticket  was  Democratic.  Shortly  prior  to  the 
election  Superintendent  T.  R.  Roberts  had  resigned  to  take  the  superin- 
tendency  of  the  McGregor  schools.  At  the  election,  in  19 12,  C.  W. 
Bean  was  elected  to  fill  the  vacancy.  The  result  of  the  presidential 
election  was  the  election  of  Wilson,  and,  owing  to  the  division  of  the 
Republican  vote,  he  received  a  large  majority  in  the  electoral  college 
and  had  a  plurality,  but  not  a  majority,  of  the  popular  vote. 

At  the  primary  election,  held  in  June,  19 14,  the  Progressives  did 
not  participate,  and  the  Republican  primary  vote  was  less  than  1,000 
and  the  Democratic  vote  was  less  than  1,200.  Among  the  Democrats 
there  were  but  two  contests,  Vina  Katschkowsky  defeated  J.  J.  Finne- 
gan,  for  recorder,  by  96  and  J.  P.  Meyer  won  the  three  cornered  fight 
for  supervisor  by  a  plurality  of  33.  Among  the  Republicans,  A.  B. 
Cummins  carried  the  county  for  United  States  senator  by  338.  The  only 
contest  on  the  Republican  county  ticket  was  for  recorder,  which  was 
won  by  John  Foster  by  a  majority  of  53.  The  election  of  1914,  was  a 
reflection  of  the  spirit  of  the  times,  which  was  for  a  breaking  away 
from  party  ties.  Thus,  while  A.  B.  Cummins,  Republican,  carried  the 
county  for  United  States  senator  by  a  plurality  of  226,  John  T.  Hamil- 
ton, Democrat,  for  governor,  carried  the  county  by  81.  Again  on  the 
county  ticket  Republicans  and  Democrats  were  elected  by  large  major- 
ities. For  auditor  John  Adam,  Republican,  received  the  largest  major- 
ity (1,876),  ever  given  in  a  contested  election;  while  E.  Bergemeyer, 
Democrat,  for  sheriff,  had  1,689  majority,  and  G.  J.  Graf,  Republican, 
for  treasurer,  received  a  majority  of  1,525.  There  were  at  this  time 
three  elections  to  fill  vacancies,  for  the  office  of  attorney,  of  coroner 
and  of  supervisor.  The  only  close  contests  were  for  supervisor,  George 
Pixler,  Republican,  defeating  C.  H.  Heubner  by  7,  and  E.  W.  Kregel, 
Republican,  defeating  L.  D.  Moser,  who  had  been  appointed  to  fill  the 
vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  Supervisor  Groth,  by  a  majority  of  71. 

Recent  Politics — In  April,  1916,  the  first  primary  was  held  under 
the  presidential  preference  law.  As  there  was  but  one  avowed  candi- 
date on  each  ticket,  A.  B.  Cummins,  Republican,  and  Woodrow  Wilson, 
Democrat,  little  interest  was  taken  and  the  total  vote  did  not  exceed 
1,000,  although  the  expense  was  almost  as  great  as  at  a  regular  elec- 
tion.    The  only  contest  which  aroused  any  interest  was  for  national 


312  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

committeeman.  In  this  county  John  T.  Adams,  Republican,  received 
a  majority  of  126  and  W.  W.  Marsh,  Democrat,  a  majority  of  81.  The 
primary  of  June,  1916,  attracted  the  largest  vote  of  any  yet  held. 
Among  the  Democrats  there  were  contests  for  the  nominations  for 
auditor,  which  Fred  C.  Seemann  won  over  E.  G.  Pebler  by  436 ;  and 
for  sheriff,  which  was  a  three-cornered  fight,  in  which  E.  Bergemeyer 
won  over  D.  L.  Barton  and  E.  Bergman  with  a  plurality  of  125.  Among 
the  Republicans  there  were  no  contests  on  the  county  ticket  except  for 
sheriff  in  which  John  G.  Reidel  defeated  F.  A.  Robinson  by  69.  The 
chief  interest  among  the  Republicans  centered  on  the  governorship  for 
which  there  were  four  candidates.  W.  L.  Harding,  who  campaigned 
the  county,  in  1912,  received  a  plurality  of  209  over  Carl  F.  Kuehnle, 
while  Joseph  H.  Allen  ran  third  and  George  Cosson  fourth.  By  the  leg- 
islature the  mulct  law  was  repealed,  in  191 5,  and  this  left  the  old  pro- 
hibitory law  effective  throughout  the  state  after  January  i,  1916.  This 
closed  the  saloons  of  the  county  which  had  been  in  operation  for  more 
than  twenty  years  under  the  provisions  of  the  mulct  law. 

Suffrage  Election — Early  in  19 15  agitation  for  woman  suffrage 
was  commenced.  The  legislature  authorized  a  vote  of  the  people  and 
a  vigorous  campaign  was  made  by  the  suffragists  throughout  the  state. 
A  meeting  at  Elkader,  March  15,  1916,  was  addressed  by  Mrs.  Elsie 
V.  Benedict  who  also  spoke  at  McGregor.  Meetings  were  also  held  by 
those  opposed  to  equal  suffrage  and  it  was  one  of  the  chief  features  of 
the  primary  campaign.  The  amendment  was  defeated  in  Clayton 
county  by  987,  and  in  the  state  by  6,000.  At  the  county  conventions, 
held  according  to  law  on  July  i,  1915,  the  Democrats  filled  vacancies 
on  their  ticket  as  follows :  For  representative,  A.  B.  Albrecht ;  coroner, 
Michael  Regan;  supervisors,  L.  D.  Zahrndt  and  Adam  Erbe.  The 
Republicans  completed  their  ticket  by  the  nomination  of  Charles 
Monlux,  for  recorder,  and  left  the  nomination  for  clerk  to  be  filled  by 
the  county  committee.  At  the  national  convention,  Charles  E.  Hughes 
was  nominated  for  president  by  the  Republicans  and  Theodore  Roose- 
velt by  the  Progressives.  Mr.  Roosevelt  declined  the  nomination  and 
announced  his  support  of  Hughes.  At  the  Democratic  convention,  at 
St.  Louis,  Woodrow  Wilson  was  renominated  for  president  without 
opposition.  As  this  campaign  is  now  on  and  as  this  history  is  intended 
to  avoid  any  suspicion  of  partisanship,  nothing  is  said  as  to  the  issues 
involved  or  the  party  alignments  or  candidates. 


ijflfe  m%  ^^>-f' 


mww  fWiSfb'ii 


CHURCH,   EDGEWOOD  HIGH   SCHOOL,   FAEMERSBURG 

CHURCH,    ST.   OLAF 
OSTERDOCK  CREAMERY  MAIN  STREET,  ST.  OLAF 

MAIN  STREET,  ELKPORT 
STREET  SCENE,  FARMERSBURG  JOURNAL  BLOCK,  EDGEWOOD 


CHAPTER  XIII 


A  CHAPTER  OF  BEGINNINGS 

BRIEF  REVIEW  OF  ORIGIN  OF  TOWNS  AND  TOWNSHIPS  AND  FIRST 

SETTLEMENTS 

MANY  matters  related  in  this  chapter  have  been  given  before 
from  time  to  time  for  it  has  been  the  purpose  to  tell  the 
story  of  the  county  in  narrative  form,  giving  the  events  in 
the  sequence  in  which  they  occurred.  However,  to  condense  as  a 
matter  of  reference  these  few  pages  are  devoted  to  a  brief  statement 
of  the  origin  of  the  different  towns  and  townships  of  the  county. 

Boardman  Tozvnship  was  named  in  honor  of  Elisha  Boardman, 
who,  with  Horace  D.  Bronson,  first,  settled  the  township,  in  1836. 
Other  early  settlers  were  Baldwin  Olmstead,  Freedom  Howard,  John 
Downie,  Jerry  Gould,  Joel  Post,  Michael  and  John  Stence,  John  Roberts 
P.  R.  Moore  and  PI.  H.  Singer.  IMiss  Malissa  Howard  taught  the 
first  school  in  a  log  school  house  in  Pony  Hollow.  The  first  election 
was  held  in  Mr.  Boardman's  house  in  1838  and  the  first  Fourth  of 
July  celebration  was  on  the  tabj^e  rock  back  of  A.  D.  Cook's  residence. 
The  first  Protestant  services  were  held  by  Rev.  Sidney  Wood  and  the 
first  Catholic  services  by  Rev.  Father  Cretin. 

Elkader  was  surveyed  in  1845  by  John  ]M.  Gay  for  Timothy  Davis, 
John  Thompson  and  Chester  Sage,  who  wished  to  establish  a  town  near 
the  site  of  their  mill.  The  town  was  named  after  Abd-el-Kader  an 
Algerian  hero.  The  first  dwelling  was  built  by  Chester  Sage  and  the 
first  store  and  the  first  hotel  were  built  by  Thompson,  Sage  and  Davis. 
The  mills  were  commenced  in  1846  and  completed  in  1849.  The  first 
bridge  was  built  in  185 1  and  prior  to  that  time  passengers  crossed 
below  the  dam  by  boat  attached  to  a  line  stretched  across  the  river. 
The  first  newspaper  was  the  Tribune  with  Mr.  Belfoy  as  editor.  This 
paper  was  established  in  1855  in  order  to  aid  in  the  fight  for  the 
county  seat  and  lived  but  two  years.  The  first  school  house  was  built 
in  1847  on  land  donated  by  Thompson,  Sage  and  Davis  and  was  taught 
by  Miss  Woodward.  The  first  church  edifice  was  the  Congregational 
church  on  Main  street,  built  in  1857  and  the  first  lodge  was  of  the 
Masonic  order  established  in  1855.  The  first  and  last  steamboat  was 
the  "Elkader,"  which  landed  freight  here  in  1854.  The  first  building 
of  importance  aside  from  the  mill  was  erected  by  E.  G.  Rolf  in  1853. 
which  building  was  for  ten  years  used  as  the  court  house.     The  first 


314  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

brick  residence  was  built  in  185 1  and  is  now  the  home  of  Hon.  R.  E. 
Price. 

The  postoffice  at  Elkader  was  established  February  17,  1848.  The 
first  postmaster  was  Amasa  A.  Briggs.  His  successors  and  the  dates 
of  their  appointment  are  as  follows:    H.  D.  Bronson,  July  11,  1849; 

E.  D.  Stockton,  February  8,  1855;  John  Partch,  October  16,  1855; 
Robert  L.  Freeman,  May  19,  1856;  Buel  Knapp,  October  2,  1857; 
Fielding  Snedigar,  March  29,  1861 ;  A.  F.  Tipton,  October  6,  1868; 

F.  W.  Shannon,  February  10,  1873;  T.  G.  Price,  February  24,  1881 ; 
D.  G.  Griffith,  September  10,  1885;  J.  M.  Leach,  May  14,  1889;  J.  G. 
Hagensick,  October  20,  1893;  Gideon  Gififord,  October  5,  1897;  Vellas 
L.  Gilje,  January  31,  1907;  F.  H.  Soil,  March  23,  1915 ;  Carl  Reicecke, 
Jr.,  January  2^,  I9i6.r  The  money  order  business  was  established 
August  6,  1886,  and  rural  routes  were  established  in  July,  1903.  The 
office  has  had  a  record  of  steady  growth  and  the  service  at  this  time 
is  excellent  both  as  to  equipment  and  the  office  efficiency J» 

Buena  Vista  Township  was  the  first  set  apart  in  the  county.  It 
was  first  occupied  by  miners  who  were  not  settlers  and  who  left  but 
little  trace  save  in  the  rocks  in  which  they  dug  for  ore.  Among  the  first 
real  settlers  were  Syrus  Henderson,  Joseph  Heinrich,  William  Foster 
and  Robert  Bunker.  The  dwelling  of  George  Cleaveland  was  bought 
by  the  township  and  was  the  first  school  house,  the  school  being  taught 
by  Miss  Mary  Shipton.  For  many  years  the  principal  merchants  were 
R.  and  E.  Meuth  who  established  themselves  in  1857.  The  township 
was  named  from  the  great  American  victory  at  Buena  Vista  during  the 
war  with  Mexico. 

Cass  Tozmiship  was  named  in  honor  of  General  Louis  Cass. 
Joseph  Hewett  who  lived  on  the  line  of  Cass  and  Sperry  township  was 
the  first  settler  in  1844.  The  first  election  was  held  in  1850  and  in  the 
following  year  the  first  school  was  opened  and  taught  by  Alexander 
Blake.  The  first  postoffice  was  established  in  1854  with  E.  L.  Gardener 
as  postmaster.  The  first  mill  was  built  by  David  Mann  on  Spring 
Branch. 

Strawberry  Point  was  laid  out  in  1853  by  W.  H.  and  D.  M. 
Stearns  under  the  name  of  Franklin.  The  name  Strawberry  Point 
was  already  known  and  was  preferred  by  the  people  and  later  adopted. 
The  Blake  house  was  the  first  hotel  and  was  built  in  1854.  The 
first  creamery  was  established  by  Busher  and  Grannis  in  1867.  The 
first  church  organization  was  the  Baptist  in  1856.  The  main  facts 
concerning  Cass  township  and  Strawberry  Point  are  given  in  a  separate 
chapter  taken  from  an  address  by  Hon.  D.  W.  Newberry. 

Clayton  Township  was  the  one  first  seen  by  Marquette  when  he 
landed  on  Iowa  soil.  There  is  no  record  of  settlement  until  1812, 
but  along  the  shores  of  this  township  passed  all  the  traffic  of  the 
Mississippi  and  it  was  one  of  the  favorite  haunts  both  of  the  Indians 
and  of  the  French  traders.  In  1812,  however,  there  is  record  of 
settlement  made  by  Chevalier  Marais.  A  member  of  the  old  nobility 
he  was  one  of  those  who  escaped  the  guillotine  in  the  bloody  days 
of  the  French  revolution  and  came  as  a  penniless  emigre  to  the 
wilds  of  the  west.  Near  the  mouth  of  Buck  creek  he  established  a 
small  trading  post  and  here  he  traded  with  the  Indians  until  news 


A  CHAPTER  OF  BEGINNINGS  315 

of  the  restoration  told  him  that  he  could  return  in  safety  to  his  beloved 
France.  While  here  he  married  the  daughter  of  an  Indian  chief  and  it 
is  to  his  credit  that  he  took  her  with  him  on  his  return  to  France.  This 
trading  post  was  not  named  by  Marais  but  it  was  known  by  the 
Americans  as  Frenchton.  After  Marais'  departure  the  post  was 
occupied  by  La  Poine  and  La  Tranch  and  it  was  to  their  landing  where 
many  of  the  early  settlers  brought  their  first  supplies. 

Gillette  and  McMasters  received  supplies  at  Frenchton,  but  they 
did  not  locate  in  Clayton  township  and  the  first  to  enter  lands  were 
Orrin  Keeler  and  James  Powell,  who  established  a  ferry  at  the  foot 
of  Sny  Magill  and  laid  out  a  town  which  they  named  Keeleroy.  The 
first  warehouse  was  built  at  this  town  in  1848  by  B.  F.  Fox  and  A. 
C.  Rogers.  In  1849  Frank  Smith  of  Dubuque  who  had  associated 
himself  with  the  Elkader  Milling  Company  located  at  the  site  of  the 
village  of  Clayton  which  they  selected  as  the  best  place  for  a  landing, 
as  a  convenient  shipping  point  for  the  product  of  the  Elkader  Mill. 
This  firm  known  as  Frank  Smith  &  Co.  sold  a  half  interest  in  the 
town  to  Noble,  Watson  &  Douglas  of  Garnavillo.  The  town  was 
named  as  was  the  county  in  honor  of  John  M.  Clayton.  The  sub- 
sequent history  of  Clayton  has  been  given  in  other  chapters.  Frank 
Smith  &  Co.  built  the  first  store  and  Clark  &  Rogers  the  first  ware- 
house. The  first  sawmill  was  built  in  1853  and  a  flour  mill  in  1858. 
Among  the  first  settlers  of  the  township  were  Ralph  Campbell,  C.  H. 
Kaumpel,  W.  C.  Stearns  and  John  Lossing. 

Cox  Creek  Township  was  named  after  the  first  settler,  Phillip 
Cox,  who  settled  there  in  1842.  William  Bente,  Dennis  Quigley, 
James  Dickerson,  Samuel  Himes,  Norman  Scoville,  George  S.  Peck 
and  Norman  Lanphere,  Avery  Clarke  and  William  Cane  were  among 
the  settlers  before  1850.  Rev.  Henry  Gifford  held  the  first  church 
services  in  the  township  in  1848.  The  town  of  Littleport  was  laid  out 
in  1857  by  Dennis  Quigley,  but  the  town  was  of  inconsiderable  im- 
portance until  the  coming  of  the  railroad,  in  1874. 

Mederville  was  first  known  as  St.  Johan  and  was  laid  out  by 
Louis  Reuther  and  Henry  Meder.  A  sawmill  and  a  residence  had  been 
erected  there  in  1854  by  James  Beatty  but  when  the  town  was  laid  out 
Reuther  erected  a  store  and  together  with  Meder  built  both  a  saw 
and  a  flour  mill.  Joseph  Unternahrer  also  opened  a  blacksmith  shop. 
John  Nugent  taught  the  first  school  in  1857.  A  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1870  with  Henry  Meder  as  postmaster. 

Osborne  was  established  by  Thomas  and  Elizabeth  Osborne  in 
1879,  the  postoffice,  with  J.  J.  McDermitt  as  postmaster,  having 
beea  established  the  year  before.  With  the  coming  of  the  railroad 
Osborne  became  a  busy  little  village  and  for  some  years  during  the 
troubles  with  eastern  Iowa  it  was  the  nearest  shipping  point  for 
Elkader. 

Elk  Towyiship  was  named  on  account  of  the  abundance  of  elk 
which  roamed  its  woods  and  pastured  on  its  hills.  Lemuel  Johnson 
was  the  first  settler.  Others  before  1850  were  John  Garber,  Joseph 
Grimes,  A.  J.  Lewis,  Dennis  Quigley,  Thomas  Cole,  William  Beyer, 
Chris  Sarver,  James  Cole,  John  Roan,  Davis  Bagdy  and  Mart  W. 
Lovett.     Isaac  Otis  and   son   were   the  men  who   gave   this   town- 


3l6  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

ship  its  early  impetus.  They  built  a  store  and  blacksmith  shop  in 
1852  and  a  grist  mill  in  1855  ^^^  i"  i860  a  woolen  mill  which  did 
a  good  business  for  a  number  of  years  and  which  was  famous  through- 
out Iowa  for  the  excellence  of  its  goods.  The  first  saw  mill  was 
erected  in  1848  by  Joseph  Grimes  and  James  Cole.  The  first  school 
house  was  of  log  in  1850  and  was  taught  by  David  M.  Zearley.  The 
first  magistrate  was  Joseph  Grimes. 

Farmersburg  Township  was  named  by  Thomas  Street.  Peter 
Eastman  was  the  first  settler  in  1846.  Others  were  John  Francis, 
James  Jones,  W.  and  D.  Barber,  M.  Van  Sickle,  Joseph  Tassro,  O. 
Brown,  M.  B.  Sherman  and  William  Linton.  At  the  first  election 
held  in  1850  there  was  a  contest  as  to  the  location  of  the  polling 
place  which  McGregor  won  over  Farmersburg.  This  led  to  a  petition 
for  a  division  of  the  precinct  and  the  township  of  Farmersburg  was 
established. 

Farmersburg  was  owned  by  S.  T.  Woodward,  J.  B.  Smith,  A.  M. 
Cortis  and  others  and  was  surveyed  by  Norman  Hamilton.  Alva 
Hazen  built  the  first  log  house  in  the  village  in  1848.  The  first  store 
was  opened  by  P.  R.  Moore  in  1858.  William  Harar  established  a  saw 
mill  in  1855.  In  1854  when  the  postofiice  was  located  with  Isaac 
Stoddard  as  postmaster  the  name  of  National  was  adopted.  National 
has  been  for  many  years  the  seat  of  the  county  fair.  With  the  com- 
ing of  the  Iowa  Eastern  business  gravitated  to  the  railroad  the  old 
name  of  Farmersburg  was  used  and  National  became  known  only  as 
the  location  of  the  fair.  The  first  church  was  the  Methodist  organized 
in  1847  by  Rev.  E.  Howard.  The  present  site  of  Farmersburg  was 
first  known  as  Windsor  and  was  owned  by  J.  C.  Russell  and  sur- 
veyed in  1856.  Simon  Huntington  was  the  first  storekeeper  and  the 
first  residence  was  built  by  George  Potter.  The  postofiice  was  estab- 
lished in  1857  with  Huntington  as  postmaster. 

Bismarck  was  a  town  platted  by  Johnson  Campbell  in  1875.  Land 
for  depot  purposes  was  donated  to  the  Iowa  Eastern  and  a  store  was 
opened.  When  the  narrow  gauge  was  sold  to  the  Milwaukee  the 
station  was  removed  and  an  appeal  was  made  to  the  Iowa  railway 
commissioners  and  the  depot  was  ordered  to  be  restored.  This 
was  done,  but  later  the  town  was  abandoned. 

Garnavillo  was  first  settled  by  Dr.  Frederick  Andros  in  1836.  John 
Gillette  soon  followed  him  and  Andrew  S.  Cooley,  George  W.  Whit- 
man and  the  great  trio  of  Reuben  Noble,  Samuel  Murdock  and  E, 
H.  Williams  were  among  the  earlier  settlers.  Among  the  others  was 
James  Watson,  A.  C.  Rogers,  W.  H.  Stevens,  William  Schoulte,  Ger- 
hard Kregel,  B.  F.  Schroeder,  Robert  Drips,  Levi  Angier,  Samuel 
Holmes,  John  Hochaus  and  Detrich  Schroeder.  The  first  church  and 
the  first  school  house  was  a  frame  building  built  in  1844.  A  brewery 
was  built  in  1855.  The  first  newspaper  in  the  county  was  established 
by  H.  S.  Granger  in  1853. 

Ceres  was  a  postoffice  on  the  southern  line  of  the  township  which 
has  since  been  abandoned. 

Jacksonville  was  laid  out  by  a  legislative  commission  appointed  to 
locate  a  new  county  seat  for  Clayton  county.  James  Watson  donated 
the  land  and  C.  F.  Edson  made  the  survey  in  1844.    In  1846  the  legis- 


A  CHAPTER  OF  BEGINNINGS  3I7 

lature  permitted  the  name  to  be  changed  and  there  are  various  stories 
as  to  how  the  name  Garnavillo  was  selected.  One  is  that  the  commit- 
tee met  at  Jacksonville  for  the  purpose  and  that  prior  to  their  meeting 
they  sat  at  the  tavern  spending  a  social  hour  and  that  Judge  Noble 
sang  several  songs  among  which  was  one  about  sweet  Kate  of  Garna- 
villo and  that  Judge  Murdock  was  so  taken  with  the  song  that  he 
declared  that  Garnavillo  be  the  name  selected  and  this  was  agreed 
upon.  It  is  said  that  this  was  the  way  in  which  the  German  village 
came  to  be  named  for  an  Irish  lass.  The  story  of  the  early  days  of 
Garnavillo  as  the  county  seat  has  been  told  in  prior  chapters.  The 
first  hotel  was  erected  by  John  Banfil  in  1844  and  it  was  a  noted  place 
of  meeting  for  the  lawyers  and  wits  of  the  early  days.  The  Garnavillo 
lodge  of  Odd  Fellows  was  established  in  1850  and  is  the  oldest  lodge  in 
the  county.  Garnavillo  is  the  oldest  community  in  the  county  having 
a  distinct  village  life. 

Giard  Township  was  named  in  honor  of  Basil  Giard  whose  land 
grant  from  the  King  of  Spain  which  was  made  in  1795  has  already  been 
dwelt  upon.  C.  S.  Edson  came  to  the  township  in  1836  and  other 
early  settlers  were  A.  E.  Wanzer,  S.  A.  Goss,  William  Clement,  Hugh 
Graham  and  Ira  B.  Briggs.  Mary  J.  Niel  was  the  first  teacher  in  a 
log  cabin  which  was  built  for  a  residence.  The  first  religious  services 
were  held  in  private  homes  by  Rev.  Knight. 

Giard  Village  was  surveyed  in  May,  1871,  by  Norman  Hamilton. 
The  German  Episcopal  church  was  organized  in  1847  ^"^i  the  first 
church  built  in  1855.  This  township  was  on  the  great  military  road 
from  McGregor  to  Fort  Atkinson  and  through  it  passed  the  thousands 
of  emigrants  destined  for  points  in  northern  Iowa  and  southern 
Minnesota.  The  first  house  built  in  Giard  was  by  John  Hagerty,  the 
murder  of  whose  wife  and  children  was  one  of  the  darkest  tragedies 
in  the  county  history. 

Beiilah  was  a  station  on  the  Milwaukee  which  came  into  prom- 
inence as  the  junction  point  with  the  Elkader  line.  W.  C.  Brown, 
later  president  of  the  New  York  Central  railway  was  the  first  operator 
at  Beulah. 

Froelich  is  a  station  on  the  Elkader  branch  named  in  honor  of  the 
man  upon  whose  farm  it  was  located. 

Grand  Meadow  Township  was  named  by  Judge  E.  H.  Williams 
and  is  all  that  the  name  implies.  Caton,  Wheeler,  Rowe,  Hardy  Barnes, 
Henry  Fewel  and  Joel  Post  were  among  the  earliest  settlers.  A  few 
years  later  this  township  was  one  which  received  a  large  Norwegian 
immigration.  There  are  no  towns  in  the  township  but  it  is  one  of  the 
richest  from  an  agricultural  standpoint. 

Highland  Tozvnship  was  named  from  its  physical  features.  Among 
the  early  settlers  were  Holbrook,  Robbins,  Mulenix,  Moats,  Pool,  Dark, 
Barnham,  Doety,  Orr,  McKeller  and  Callagan.  The  township  was 
organized  in  1854  and  the  first  election  held  at  the  home  of  Francis 
Robbins.  The  first  school  houses  were  built  in  1854.  The  United 
Brethren  church  was  the  first  represented,  services  of  that  denomina- 
tion beginning  as  early  as  1853. 

Jefferson  Township  was  designated  as  precinct  No.  6  by  the  com- 
missioners in  1847.     Nine  years  prior  to  that  time  there  had  been  a 


3l8  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON   COUNTY 

voting  precinct  at  Prairie  la  Porte,  the  first  county  seat  which  was 
surveyed  in  1839.  The  county  buildings  and  the  tavern  run  by  Her- 
man Graybill  constituted  about  all  of  Prairie  la  Porte  and  the  removal 
of  the  county  seat  left  it  practically  deserted.  The  Western  Settle- 
ment Society  purchased  land  from  the  government  north  and  south 
of  Prairie  la  Porte  and  soon  after  purchased  this  also  from  the  county 
and  founded  the  city  of  Guttenberg.  The  first  German  settlers  sent 
out  by  the  society  reached  Guttenberg  in  1845.  The  first  house  in 
Guttenberg  was  built  by  Overbeck  and  Telgemeier.  Guttenberg  was 
incorporated  under  a  special  charter  in  1851.  This  was  done  in  order 
that  non-resident  land  owners  might  be  taxed  for  the  improvement 
of  the  city.  The  settlement  society  was  a  semi-benevolent  institution 
and  assisted  many  especially  among  the  German  revolutionists  to 
secure  homes  in  the  new  country.  In  this  way  Guttenberg  was  settled 
rapidly  and  by  a  homogeneous  population.  The  first  mayor  was 
Christian  Weis.  The  prominent  facts  in  the  history  of  Guttenberg  have 
been  given  in  prior  chapters. 

Lodomillo  Township — Two  stories  are  told  concerning  the  naming 
of  this  township,  neither  of  which  bears  the  stamp  of  great  probabiHty. 
One  is  that  Schuyler  Peet  asked  an  Indian  to  assist  him  to  load  a  heavy 
fanning  mill  and  that  the  Indian  indignantly  replied  that  he  would  not 
"load-o-millo-o,"  and  another  is  that  it  was  named  for  a  large  water- 
melon patch,  the  term  load  of  melons  being  corrupted  to  Lodomillo. 
This  was  the  home  of  the  "Yankee  Settlement"  distinguishing  it  from 
those  parts  of  the  county  which  were  settled  largely  by  Germans  and 
Irish.  Among  the  first  settlers  were  a  Mr.  Lyon,  in  1844,  and  Isaac 
Preston,  Horace  Bemis,  the  Madison  brothers,  George  L.  Wheeler,  Rev. 
N.  W.  Bixby,  Oliver  Nathan,  Moses  Purdy,  Frank  Reily,  J.  F.  Noble, 
S.  R.  Peet,  Henry  Brown  and  John  Gibson.  The  first  school  house 
was  built  in  1846  and  there  is  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  the  women 
of  the  community,  thinking  it  unsuitable  and  failing  to  get  the  men  to 
build  another,  quietly  set  fire  to  it.  The  first  religious  services  were 
held  at  the  home  Schuyler  Peet  by  Rev.  Joel  Taylor.  The  first  election 
was  held  in  1845.  The  village  of  Yankee  Settlement  later  became 
Edgewood  and  with  the  coming  of  the  railroad  it  became  a  prosperous 
community.  Yankee  Settlement  was  platted  by  John  and  Rosanna 
Gibson  in  1856  and  great  efforts  were  made  to  sell  lots  and  build 
up  the  community,  it  being  advertised  that  lots  would  be  given  free  to 
mechanics  and  other  inducements  were  offered,  but  the  settlement  never 
grew  to  importance  until  just  prior  to  the  coming  of  the  railroad  in 
1872-3.  The  first  house  in  Edgewood  was  built  by  Joseph  Belman  and 
the  first  school  house  was  erected  in  1874  with  Miss  Lane  as  teacher. 
Dr.  D.  W.  Chase  and  Dr.  Louis  Blanchard  were  the  pioneer  physicians, 
Dr.  Chase  coming  in  1855  ^^^  Dr.  Blanchard  succeeding  him  in  1865. 
One  of  the  first  industries  was  a  brick  yard  started  in  1850  by  Edwin 
Steele  and  the  first  postoffice  in  the  township  was  established  in  185 1. 

Mallory  Township  was  one  of  the  earliest  settled,  Thomas  Clin- 
ton and  the  three  VanSickle  brothers,  Martin,  Moses  and  Jacob,  locat- 
ing there  in  1833.  Samuel  D.  and  Douglas  Peck,  Sol  Wadsworth  and 
Edward  Dickens  were  among  the  other  pioneers.  The  township  was 
for  many  years  without  a  postoffice  or  a  village  and  it  was  not  until 


A  CHAPTER  OF  BEGINNINGS  319 

the  coming  of  the  railroad  that  Osterdock  was  laid  out  on  the  north 
line  of  the  township  in  1877.  The  first  lots,  however,  were  surveyed 
in  1872,  the  owners  being  the  Bowman  family.  In  1854  a  church  of 
the  United  Brethren  was  organized,  Luther  McVey  being  the  first 
pastor.     The  first  church  was  built  in  1859. 

Marion  Township  narrowly  escaped  being  called  Morasser.  The 
story  of  its  name  has  been  already  told.  The  township  was  organized 
in  1855,  being  detached  from  Wagner  township.  J.  C.  Rounds  was 
the  strong  man  of  the  township  and  at  the  first  election  he  was  elected 
clerk,  justice  of  the  peace  and  assessor.  The  first  postoffice  was 
located  in  1857  at  Mr.  Rounds'  house  and  was  known  as  Gem.  This 
was  discontinued  and  the  only  postofifice  in  the  township  at  present 
is  known  as  Gunder.  The  Dunkards  had  a  church  organization  in  this 
township  at  an  early  day,  meetings  being  held  at  the  different  homes 
until  1854,  when  the  first  church  was  erected.  This  township  also 
enjoyed  a  large  Norwegian  settlement  and  a  Norwegian  Lutheran 
church  was  built  in  1873. 

Mendon,  the  northeast  township  of  the  county,  was  altered  in  its 
line  several  times.  It  contains  a  greater  part  of  the  old  Giard  grant  and 
it  is  a  township  of  great  scenic  beauty.  Its  location  opposite  Prairie  du 
Chien  and  at  the  head  of  the  most  available  route  to  the  western 
counties  gives  this  township  a  peculiarly  interesting  and  cosmopolitan 
history.  The  history  of  this  township  is  practically  included  in  the 
history  of  McGregor  and  this  has  been  given  quite  fully  in  prior 
chapters. 

McGregor  was  named  for  Alexander  McGregor  who  established 
a  ferry  at  McGregor's  Landing  in  1836.  The  building  of  Fort  Atkinson 
in  1840  made  McGregor  a  point  of  importance.  McGregor  made  his 
residence  on  the  east  bank  of  the  river  in  1847,  ^f'd  later  the  town 
grew  so  rapidly  that  it  was  incorporated  under  a  special  charter  in 
May,  1857,  A.  T.  Jones  being  the  first  mayor.  This  charter  was 
abandoned  in  1863  and  the  regular  city  charter  provided  by  law  was 
adopted.  The  first  school  house  was  a  small  brick  structure  built  in 
1850  by  Alexander  McGregor.  The  postoffice  was  established  in 
1849  with  H.  D.  Evans  as  postmaster.  The  first  bank  in  the  county 
was  that  of  Lee  and  Kinniard  in  1856.  The  first  church  services 
were  held  in  a  carpenter  shop  in  1852  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Methodist  church  with  Rev.  Elisha  Warner  as  the  preacher.  The 
first  lodge  was  Bezer  lodge  of  the  Masonic  order  founded  in  the 
early  part  of  1857,  the  Odd  Fellows  organizing  in  October  of  the 
same  year. 

North  McGregor,  which  was  to  become  a  formidable  rival  to 
McGregor,  first  came  into  prominence  as  the  terminus  of  the  railroad 
to  the  west  and  as  a  short  cut  between  that  line  and  the  Alilwaukee 
at  Prairie  du  Chien.  This  drew  heavily  upon  the  business  of  McGregor 
and  there  was  at  one  time  much  feeling  between  the  two  towns.  North 
McGregor  was  incorporated  in  May,  1874,  and  the  first  mayor  was 
George  Keen  who  was  also  the  president  of  the  first  school  board. 
The  large  foundry  of  the  Thompson  &  Keen  Company  and  the  Flem- 
ming  saw  mill  added  largely  to  the  importance  of  North  McGregor, 
but  these  industries  suffered  heavily  by  fire  and  flood. 


320  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

West  McGregor  was  incorporated  March,  1881,  Michael  Kline  was 
the  mayor  from  that  time  until  the  incorporation  was  abandoned  in 
1901.  The  main  industry  of  this  suburb  was  the  West  McGregor 
brewery  which  was  founded  in  1857  by  Michael  Burnetts.  Michael 
Kline  and  John  VanStaden  were  the  owners  for  many  years  how- 
ever. 

Millville  Tozmiship  was  the  first  actually  settled  by  Americans,  in 
1833.  The  settlement  came  about  through  natural  causes.  The  pioneers 
crossed  the  Mississippi  to  the  mouth  of  the  Turkey  and  one  of  the 
first  things  necessary  for  them  was  a  mill  where  logs  might  be  sawed 
and  grist  ground.  They  pushed  up  the  Turkey  river  and  stopped  at 
the  first  place  where  there  was  sufficient  fall  and  sufficient  power  for 
a  mill.  The  name  of  the  township  was  easily  derived  from  the  mill 
and  the  mill  ville  which  sprang  up  about  it.  Quigley,  Hatfield,  Price, 
Wayman,  Grant  and  others  were  among  these  pioneers  and  all  the 
others,  such  men  as  Andros,  Boardman,  Bronson,  Correll  and  Griffith, 
undoubtedly  made  this  their  first  stopping  place.  Millville  was  among 
the  first  townships  organized,  the  first  election  being  held  in  1838  at 
which  time  David  Springer  was  elected  justice.  As  has  been  shown 
the  boundaries  of  the  township  were  changed  from  time  to  time  and 
Millville  embraced  a  larger  territory  than  it  does  today.  The  post- 
office  at  Millville  was  established  at  an  early  day,  with  Isaac  Preston 
as  postmaster.  The  office  at  Turkey  river  was  not  established  until 
1871,  with  John  Moore  as  postmaster.  In  the  50's  P.  C.  Balsinger  and 
E.  C.  Jeffries  laid  out  a  town  which  they  called  Jefferson  in  the  south- 
west part  of  the  township.  Jeffries  had  a  store  and  a  mill  there  and 
the  history  of  1882  gives  the  population  as  50.  The  town  was  generally 
known  as  Jeffriesville  and  the  postoffice  was  given  the  name  of  Graham, 
which  it  bears  today,  although  the  population  is  not  so  large  as  it  was  in 
1882.     The  town  of  Millville  was  platted  in  1856. 

Monona  Tozvnship — Monona  is  the  only  township  in  the  county 
which  bears  an  Indian  name.  This  is  all  the  more  strange  because 
the  surrounding  counties  have  many  Indian  names :  Allamakee,  Win- 
neshiek, Chickasaw,  Blackhawk,  Delaware,  Waukon,  Decorahj  Wau- 
coma  and  scores  of  other  names  in  northeastern  Iowa  are  of  Indian 
origin  but  in  this  county  it  was  the  American  pioneers  and  not  the 
aborigine  who  left  his  impress  in  nomenclature.  The  original  spell- 
ing was  Mononah  and  was  selected  by  a  vote  of  the  people  when  the 
township  was  organized  June  7,  1847.  Nearly  a  fourth  of  Monona 
and  practically  all  of  Great  Meadow  were  included  in  the  Neutral 
Grounds.  While  the  Winnebagoes  were  on  their  reservation  Monona 
was  one  of  the  nearest  and  most  convenient  points  where  traders  and 
illicit  whiskey  dealers  might  come  in  touch  with  the  Indians.  For  this 
reason  it  was  a  very  wild  and  rough  community  in  the  early  days. 
Fortunately  the  rougher  element  followed  the  Indian  and  left  the  town- 
ship to  the  peaceable  and  order-loving  settlers.  Such  men  as  P.  P. 
Olmstead,  S.  Cummings,  David  Olmstead,  A.  P.  Depue,  E.  D.  Button, 
E.  Bonnell  and  John  Roberts  were  among  the  better  class  of  citizens, 
as  were  P.  R.  Moore,  John  Zimmerman  and  James  King.  By  1847, 
there  were  forty  residents  in  the  township.  The  postoffice  was  estab- 
lished in  1849  with  P.  P.  Olmstead  as  postmaster  and  in  the  same 


A  CHAPTER  OF  BEGINNINGS  321 

year  a  store  was  started.  The  first  school  was  taught  at  the  Olmstead 
home  in  1845.  0"^  oi  the  distinctive  features  of  Monona  township 
was  the  Clydesdale  colony. 

The  Clydesdale  Company  was  organized  in  Scotland  on  the  fourth 
day  of  April,  1849,  ^o^  the  purpose  of  acquiring  land  in  some  suitable 
locality  in  the  United  States,  in  which  to  establish,  by  means  of  the 
united  capital  and  industry  of  its  partners,  a  comfortable  home  for 
themselves  and  families  where  they  may  follow  a  more  simple,  useful 
and  rational  mode  of  life  than  is  found  practicable  in  the  complex 
and  competitive  state  of  society,  from  which  they  have  been  anxious 
to  retire.  The  above  is  the  wording  of  a  quaint  agreement  under 
which  this  band  of  sturdy  Scotchmen  came  to  Clayton  county  in  1850. 
James  Freebairn  was  president  and  John  McAndrew,  James  Love, 
John  Jack,  Robert  St.  Clair,  John  Davy,  David  Drummond,  John 
Campbell,  Andrew  Anderson,  John  McHufTy,  John  Craig  and  Alex- 
ander McKinsley,  with  their  families,  were  the  colonists.  The  com- 
munity idea  did  not  persist  but  the  splendid  Scotch  blood  did  much  to 
enrich  the  county. 

Monona  was  platted  July,  1851,  additions  being  made  to  it  from 
time  to  time.  The  store  and  postoffice  were  established  before  the  town 
was  platted.  The  boom  days  of  Monona  took  place  when  it  was  the 
terminus  for  the  McGregor  and  Western,  for  the  great  overland  trade 
naturally  stopped  at  the  nearest  railroad  point  As  the  rails  travelled 
westward  Monona  became,  like  other  towns,  dependent  upon  its  im- 
mediate trade  territory.  This  is  rich,  fertile,  and  fairly  extensive,  and 
Monona  has  always  been  a  prosperous  community. 

Hardin,  located  in  the  extreme  northwest  corner  of  the  towrr^ip, 
was  surveyed  in  January,  1854,  for  Leonard  B.  Hodges.  The  first 
store  was  opened  by  A.  D.  Frazer  and  the  second  by  R.  T.  Burnham. 
Hardin  was  located  on  one  of  the  main  arteries  of  travel  to  the  north- 
west and  was  a  popular  port  of  call  and  .trading  point  before  the 
coming  of  the  railroad  and  it  has  been  able  to  maintain  its  identity  as 
an  inland  village  since  that  time. 

Luana  is  of  later  origin  and  grew  up  with  the  railroads.  It  was 
surveyed  in  1867  and  W.  S.  Scott,  the  proprietor,  named  it  in  honor  of 
his  wife,  Luana.  It  has  been  a  rival  of  Strawberry  Point  as  a  creamery 
center.  The  village  is  located  on  the  Jacob  Zimmerman  farm  where  he 
lived  in  1853.  The  first  residence  in  Luana  was  built  by  R.  P.  Oliver 
and  the  first  store  by  William  Mott.  The  postoffice  was  established 
in  1864  with  James  M.  Chapman  as  postmaster.  Mrs.  Wiltsee  taught 
the  first  school  in  Monona  township  in  a  dwelling  owned  by  P.  P. 
Olmstead  at  Monona.  For  ten  years  there  were  no  schools  in  the  town- 
ship except  at  Monona.  In  1857,  schools  were  located  in  a  log  build- 
ing which  had  formerly  been  a  saloon.  Miss  Priscilla  L.  Winter  and 
Miss  Clementine  Fonda  were  the  teachers.  The  first  school  house 
was  built  in  1856. 

Read  Township  was  organized  March  4,  1856,  and  named  in  honor 
of  Robert  R.  Read.  It  was  one  of  the  first  townships  settled,  but  was 
largely  tributary  to  Garnavillo.  Joel  Post  settled  there  in  1838  and 
among  the  other  early  comers  were  Martin  Brassell,  C.  Gallagher,  A. 
Falkner,  Patrick  and  Eugene  Rogers,  A.  Griswell,  Elias  Misner  and 


322  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Mrs.  Mary  Uriell  with  her  three  sons,  Patrick,  Michael  and  John.  This 
was  a  CathoHc  community  and  the  first  church  services  were  held  by 
Father  Joseph  Cretin  in  1841,  but  the  first  church  building  was  that 
erected  by  the  Lutherans  at  Clayton  Center  in  1856. 

Clayton  Center  is  one  of  the  old  towns  of  the  county  and  it  still 
keeps  its  identity  as  a  prosperous  inland  village.  It  was  surveyed  in 
1856  by  Fred  Hartman,  who  had  the  first  house  in  the  town,  while 
J.  L.  Hagensick  was  the  first  merchant. 

Motor  was  platted  in  the  south  part  of  the  township  in  1875  by 
James  O.  Crosby  and  grew  up  about  the  large  stone  mill. 

S perry  Township — John  Paddelford  must  be  accredited  as  the 
real  founder  of  Sperry  township.  He  first  located  in  1842  and  made 
a  permanent  settlement  in  1845  ^^^  ^^^  many  years  was  the  dominant 
force  in  the  township.  Among  the  other  early  settlers  were  Joseph 
Hewett,  Asa  Parks,  James  Lowe,  F.  G.  Cummings,  William  Boots  and 
Nichols,  Taylor,  Chilson  and  Silvers.  The  first  school  was  at  the  resi- 
dence of  F.  G.  Cummings  and  the  first  election  was  in  1847. 

Volga  City  was  established  in  185 1.  S.  Harvey,  W.  H.  Gould, 
G.  L.  Tremain  and  Woodward  and  Lowe  were  among  the  early  mer- 
chants. Long  before  the  coming  of  the  railroad  Volga  was  a  thriving 
community  and  Sperry  was  one  of  the  most  intensely  Union  townships 
of  the  county,  the  Volga  Rifles  being  formed  in  response  to  the  first  call 
for  troops.  With  the  railroad  Volga  gained  new  right  and  importance 
and  continued  as  a  prosperous  business  center. 

Volga  Township  was  named  after  the  river  as  was  Volga  City 
and  the  river,  in  turn,  was  named  after  the  great  river  in  Russia.  W. 
W.  Wayman  was  the  first  settler,  but  the  first  farmer,  for  Wayman 
was  a  trader  and  trapper,  was  Frederick  Hartge,  who  located  in  1842, 
at  what  is  now  Elkport.  Asa  Gifford  and  son  George,  Dennis  Quigley, 
Michael  Stence,  Bishop  and  Robert  Fuller,  Hiram  Walbridge,  Dan 
Justice,  Christian  Sarver,  Jacob  Rounds  and  John  Garber  were  pioneer 
settlers.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  1853  by  Martin  Garber  and  the 
first  school  house  was  built  in  Elkport  in  1854.  Elders  Gififord  and 
Bixby  held  the  first  religious  services  in  1848.  The  first  grist  mill  was 
built  on  Elk  Creek  in  i860,  this  mill  was  afterwards  owned  by  A.  C. 
Tiede  and  was  one  of  the  most  important  in  the  county.  The  first 
election  was  held  at  Elkport  in  1847. 

Elkport  was  platted  in  1855  by  Frederick  Hartge  and  wife, 
although  it  had  been  known  as  a  village  for  a  dozen  years  prior. 
Hartge  built  the  first  house  in  1842  and  worked  as  a  blacksmith.  He 
also  built  the  first  saw  mill  in  1843.  The  Garbers  were  the  first 
merchants.  Dr.  McCullough,  in  1857,  was  the  first  physician  and 
William  Borton,  in  1852  established  the  first  hotel.  The  postoffice  also 
was  established  in  1852  with  John  Garber  as  postmaster. 

East  Elkport,  now  known  as  Garber  was  surveyed  in  1872  by  John 
Garber,  who  was  the  first  postmaster.  It  is  now  practically  a  part 
of  Elkport. 

Communia  was  the  name  given  the  location  of  the  community 
colony.  This  was  an  interesting  but  fruitless  experiment  in  com- 
munion. It  was  founded  in  St.  Louis  in  1847,  the  founders  being 
Joseph  Venus,  Jacob  Ponsar,  Frederick  Meister,  Henry  Babe,  Fred- 


A  CHAPTER  OF  BEGINNINGS  323 

erick  Lochsen,  Carl  Reger,  Carl  Hoen,  John  Hofstaedter,  Frederick 
Koenig  and  Isaac  Nagel,  the  latter  of  French  descent.  They  were 
duly  incorporated  on  a  communistic  basis  and  Joseph  Venus  was 
president.  Anyone  who  wished  to  join  after  being  elected,  contributed 
all  he  had  to  the  general  fund,  which  he  could  withdraw  when  he 
left  the  society.  These  men  were  artisans  and  not  farmers  and  to 
the  ordinary  pioneer  hardships  were  added  the  mistakes  of  inexper- 
ience. Nevertheless  they  prospered  on  account  of  their  industry  and 
frugality.  The  original  purchase  consisted  of  400  acres  in  sections 
7,  8  and  i8  of  Volga  and  13  and  14  of  Cox  Creek.  The  enterprise  did 
not  last  long,  as  a  community,  the  more  industrious  tiring  of  supporting 
the  shirkers.  Then,  too,  when  it  came  to  withdrawing  it  was  found 
that  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  divide  an  estate  which  had  been  bought 
in  common.  The  matter  went  to  the  courts  and  there  was  long  and 
expensive  litigation  before  the  community  was  finally  divided.  Those 
of  the  colonists  who  remained  were  among  the  best  citizens  of  the 
county. 

Wagner  Township  was  named  after  John  Wagner,  Sr.,  who 
settled  there  in  1846.  The  township  was  organized  in  1852  and  other 
pioneers  were  A.  E.  Wanzer,  Joseph  Steiner,  John  Hopas,  William 
Patterson  and  Phillip  Walter.  Early  traders  were  Williams,  EbersoU 
and  Redick.  The  first  school  was  taught  in  Pony  Hollow  by  Sarah  J. 
Patterson.  The  township  was  later  settled  largely  by  Norwegians 
who  largely  controlled  the  destinies  of  the  township  after  their  com- 
ing. St.  Olaf  was  established  on  the  line  of  the  Iowa  Eastern  in  1874, 
and  before  the  railroad  reached  Elkader  it  was  an  important  shipping 
point.  H.  H.  Strum  was  the  first  postmaster  in  1874.  The  Norwegian 
Lutheran  church  was  established  in  1854.  Wagner  postofifice  was  the 
pioneer  postoffice  of  the  township,  being  established  in  1859.  William 
Monlux,  W.  P.  Eno  and  Milo  P.  Clark  were  some  of  the  strong  men 
of  this  township  and  James  M.  (Yankee)  Hill  was  a  well  known 
character. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


PRESENT  VIEW  OF  COUNTY— REVIEW  OF  COUNTY  AND 

TOWNS  WITH  BRIEF  HISTORY  OF  CHURCHES 

AND  ORGANIZATIONS. 

CLAYTON EDGEWOOD ELKADER — ELKPORT     AND      GARBER — FARMERS- 
BURG GARNAVILLO GIARD GUTTENBERG LITTLEPORT MONONA 

M'gREGOR — NORTH      m'GREGOR OSTERDOCK — ST.      OLAF — STRAWBERRY 

POINT — VOLGA  CITY. 

CLAYTON  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  ninety-nine 
counties  of  Iowa.  On  its  eastern  border  wooded  hills  and 
bluffs  arise  abruptly  from  the  Mississippi.  These  are  dark 
with  the  green  of  dense  woods  with  here  and  there  the  rugged  outline 
of  sheer  granite  cliffs,  approaching  in  grandeur  the  palisades  of  the 
Hudson.  From  the  heights  the  beautiful  panorama  of  the  Father  of 
Waters  is  spread  before  the  entranced  vision.  Nestled  deep  in  the 
valleys  are  glimpses  of  prosperous  and  handsome  villages,  the  tall 
church  spires  and  substantial  buildings  giving  evidence  of  the  high 
development  of  their  civilization.  Back  from  the  Mississippi  the  hills 
rise  less  abruptly,  but  from  the  ridges  there  are  views  of  miles  upon 
miles  of  broad,  deep  cut  valleys  through  which  run  clear  rapidly  flow- 
ing rivers,  and  which  present  a  scene  of  wonderful  agricultural 
progress.  Heavily  wooded  slopes,  a  bright  gold  of  ripening  grain,  the 
emerald  ranks  of  corn,  stately  farm  homes  with  great  barns  which  tell 
of  the  bounty  of  the  harvest,  pastures  filled  with  rich  long  grasses 
and  herds  of  sleek  cattle  which  plainly  show  the  strains  of  noble 
blood,  all  of  these  go  to  make  up  the  picture  of  Clayton  County  as  it 
is  today. 

It  is  not  alone  the  villages  with  their  air  of  comfort  and  of 
wealth  which  appeal  to  the  visitor,  but  the  many  palatial  homes  which 
dot  the  prairies  throughout  the  county ;  the  homes  which  contain  every 
convenience  and  luxury  of  the  most  modern  city  home.  Poverty,  such 
as  is  seen  in  the  large  cities  and  in  some  of  the  rural  districts  of  the 
United  States  is  wholly  unknown  to  Clayton  county.  Education  is  as 
widespread  as  the  material  prosperity,  and  the  excellent  roads,  the 
many  churches  and  the  large  number  of  social  organizations  give 
evidence  of  the  high  state  of  culture  which  obtains. 

As  has  been  seen  throughout  this  history,  Clayton  county  has  been, 
as  a  rule,  particularly  fotunate  in  its  county  government.  Few  counties 
have  received  more  nearly  the  worth  of  their  money  in  their  public  im- 


326  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

provements,  all  of  which  are  substantial  and  well  built.  There  are  also 
evidences  of  the  new  spirit  behind  the  road  work  of  the  county  and  the 
improvements  now  being  made  show  system,  careful  planning  and 
good  execution.  The  county  is  represented  in  the  senate  of  the  state 
by  Hon.  Robert  Quigley  of  McGregor,  a  son  of  one  of  the  very  earliest 
pioneers  of  the  county,  and  in  the  house  by  Hon.  William  Becker  of 
Elkader.  The  county  officers  are  for  the  most  part  young  and  active 
and  possessed  of  excellent  clerical  ability,  and  they  seem  to  have  been 
chosen  for  efficiency  as  well  as  for  party  service.  The  most  important 
part  of  the  government  of  an  Iowa  county  is  vested  in  the  board  of 
supervisors.  E.  W.  Kregel,  Charles  Meder  and  George  W.  Pixler 
constitute  the  board  for  Clayton  county.  They  are  all  practical  men  of 
affairs,  considerable  tax  payers  and  men  who  have  the  interests  of  the 
county  at  heart.  Other  county  officers  are  John  Adam,  auditor ;  G.  J. 
Graf,  treasurer ;  M.  J.  Hagensick,  clerk ;  E.  Bergemeyer,  sheriff ;  Vina 
Katschkowsky,  recorder ;  and  W.  J.  Beerman,  coroner.  Under  the  new 
non-partisan  system  Carl  F.  Becker  is  doing  excellent  work  as  county 
superintendent,  unhampered  by  politics.  The  affairs  of  the  fine  hospital 
which  the  county  has  erected  for  its  incurable  insane  are  under  the 
management  of  L.  L.  Hulverson  as  superintendent  and  Mrs.  Hulver- 
son  as  matron ;  and  the  county  home  which  is  another  institution  of 
which  the  county  is  justly  proud  is  under  the  control  of  William  H. 
Koehn  as  steward  and  Mrs.  Koehn  as  matron.  The  soldiers'  reUef 
commission  consists  of  M.  W.  Thein,  Theodore  Sherman  and  T.  M. 
Davidson  as  secretary.  During  the  year  of  19 15  the  sum  of  $28,888.92 
was  expended  by  the  county  for  road  work  and  $71,960.35  was  spent 
for  bridges.  Under  the  present  excellent  management  the  net  cost  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  county  home  for  191 5  was  but  $3,905.23,  and 
for  the  county  hospital  but  $6,478.69.  The  value  of  county  property, 
exclusive  of  highways  and  bridges,  was  $156,409.  The  total  taxable 
value  of  the  county,  with  all  exemptions  deducted,  under  the  assessment 
of  1914  was  $9,623,941,  with  moneys  and  credits  in  addition  to  the 
extent  of  $4,764,954,  and  this  is  one  of  the  wealthiest  counties  in  the 
state  of  Iowa. 

The  soil  of  the  county  is  a  deep  and  extremely  fertile  deposit  with 
a  clay  subsoil  which  enables  it  to  withstand  conditions  either  of  draught 
or  of  excessive  moisture.  Comparison  of  the  farming  communities  of 
the  different  sections  of  the  county,  as  a  whole,  would  be  invidious. 
The  drainage  is  excellent  and,  considering  the  hilly  nature  of  the 
country,  there  is  remarkably  little  waste  land,  for  while  the  hills  which 
line  the  valleys  are  steep  and  precipitous,  they  lead  back  to  broad  table- 
lands, nearly  all  of  which  are  under  cultivation.  In  the  present  view, 
however,  it  is  necessary  to  speak  more  particularly  of  the  towns  of 
the  county,  their  present  progress  and  their  institutions.  All  the  various 
organizations  have  been  invited  to  furnish  data  for  this  history,  and 
those  which  have  responded  are  included  in  this  account  of  the  county 
as  it  appears  today.  The  Catholic  churches  have  been  treated  in  a 
separate  chapter.  CLAYTON 

Clayton  is  now  a  village  of  141  inhabitants.  While  it  has  lost 
that  commercial  importance  which  it  held  in  the  early  days,  both  on 


PRESENT   VIEW    OF    COUNTY  327 

account  of  changed  trade  conditions  and  the  great  fire  which  left  but 
one  business  house  standing,  it  is  still  the  home  of  a  prosperous  and 
contented  people.  F.  C.  Larson  is  mayor  and  James  McGuire  clerk  of 
the  village.  There  are  excellent  schools  in  charge  of  Minnie  M.  Pieper. 
Religious  worship  is  held  in  the  Catholic  church,  served  by  Rev.  Father 
Raedler,  of  Garnavillo,  and  in  the  Methodist  church,  served  by  Rev. 
H.  E.  Smith,  of  Guttenberg.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  the  M.  E. 
church,  with  Mrs.  J.  E.  Kernahan  as  president,  and  the  Ladies'  Social 
Circle,  of  which  Mrs.  A.  M.  Smasal  is  president,  provide  for  the  social 
life  among  the  ladies,  and  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the 
Brotherhood  of  Yeomen  are  the  men's  fraternities.  There  are  good 
general  stores  and  the  town  is  prosperous. 

EDGEWOOD 

Edgewood  is  a  beautiful  little  town  situated  on  the  southern  line 
of  the  county,  part  of  the  village  being  in  Delaware  county.  It  is  the 
home  of  much  wealth,  business  blocks  are  substantial,  many  of  the 
residences  are  beautiful  and  all  of  them  are  comfortable.  G.  W.  Fleming 
is  mayor  and  E.  B.  Shaffer  clerk  of  the  city,  and  W.  E.  Richards  post- 
master. There  are  an  excellent  water  system,  good  roads  and  an 
electric  light  plant,  owned  by  the  city,  worth  alDout  $12,000.  In  the 
heart  of  a  rich  dairying  country,  the  creamery  industry  is  the  largest 
in  the  city,  and  it  pays  in  the  vicinity  of  $200,000  a  year  to  the  farmers 
of  the  vicinity.  There  is  a  fine  brick  school  building  of  twelve  grades. 
The  school  consists  of  nine  rooms,  with  a  corps  of  eight  teachers,  with 
W.  F.  W.  Jones  as  superintendent  and  Miss  Elsie  Hatch  as  principal. 
There  is  a  twelve-year  course  of  study,  which  includes  agriculture, 
domestic  science  and  manual  training.  The  high  school  has  recently 
been  made  one  of  the  accredited  schools  of  the  state.  C.  B.  Madison 
is  president  of  the  school  board  and  G.  E.  Gates  is  clerk.  The  Edge- 
wood  Journal  is  a  very  live  local  paper,  having  a  circulation  in  the 
two  counties,  and  is  edited  by  Floyd  A.  Peet.  It  was  founded  by 
Lacy  F.  SchaflFer  in  1888,  and  later  was  published  by  Ernest  Q.  Lain 
and  printed  in  Strawberry  Point,  with  R.  J.  Bixley  as  local  editor.  It 
was  then  known  as  the  Hawkeye  Siftings.  B.  W.  Sheppard  and  C.  A. 
Newman  were  later  owners.  In  1901  F.  A.  Peet  purchased  the  business 
and  has  since  been  the  editor.  He  was  burned  out  in  1908  in  the  disas- 
trous fire  which  swept  the  city.  Church  interests  are  represented  by  the 
Methodists,  Congregationalists  and  Catholics.  The  latter  have  no 
church  building,  but  have  plans  under  way  for  the  erection  of  a  church 
in  the  near  future. 

CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

The  Congregational  church  of  Edgewood  was  organized  January 
23,  1848.  Rev.  E.  V.  Turner  was  chairman  of  the  first  meeing,  and 
among  the  first  members  were  H.  B.  Brockway.  Samuel  and  Charlotte 
Mulliken,  Emily  Brockway  and  Mrs.  Lucy  Noble.  The  organization 
was  completed  in  March  of  the  same  year.  Rev.  H.  M.  Gates  was  the 
first  regular  pastor  in  1853,  and  in  October  of  that  year  it  was  decided 
to  build  a  church.    The  congregation  was  incorporated  November  16, 


328  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

1854,  as  the  First  Congregational  Church  of  York,  Iowa,  by  Henry 
Brockway,  Thomas  Haskell,  Seymour  Piatt  and  Charles  Robinson. 
Among  the  pastors  have  been  Rev.  Graves,  1854;  Rev.  L.  P.  Mathews, 
1862-1873 ;  Rev.  B.  M.  Amsden,  1873-1875 ;  Rev.  Chas.  Hancock,  1875. 
The  church  was  without  a  pastor  for  several  years,  and  other  pastors 
were  as  follows:  Gorton,  Kidd,  Marsh,  Kay,  Aikman,  Styles,  Elser, 
Gorton,  Beaty,  H.  A.  Benton,  1889;  H,  A.  Richardson,  1902;  M.  J.  P. 
Thing,  1904-1907.  The  church  was  again  without  a  pastor  until  1914, 
when  Mrs.  C.  W.  Smith  was  placed  in  charge.  She  has  done  excellent 
work,  and  there  is  now  an  active  Sunday  school,  Christian  Endeavor 
and  Junior  Endeavor  societies.  The  Sunday  school  has  been  maintained 
at  all  times.  Eva  Minkler  is  superintendent,  and  a  feature  is  the  large 
brotherhood  class  of  fifty  members  conducted  by  R.  J.  Bixbey.  The 
name  of  the  church  was  changed  from  that  of  York  to  Yankee  Settle- 
ment and  later  to  Edgewood.  A  new  church  was  built  in  1881  under 
the  supervision  of  Rev.  Aikman  and  the  parsonage  in  1899  under  Rev. 
H.  A.  Benton. 

METHODIST  CHURCH 

The  Methodist  church  of  Edgewood  was  organized  in  1845  by 
Rev.  Joel  Taylor.  The  first  members  were  F.  C.  Madison,  Isaac  Preston 
and  wife  and  Nathaniel  Purdy  and  wife.  Rev.  Taylor  was  the  first 
pastor,  and  the  first  church  was  built  in  1847  ^^  ^  cost  of  $800.  It  was 
24  by  40  feet  in  size.  The  second  church  was  built  in  1881  at  a  cost 
of  $2,500,  and  the  size  was  30  by  50  feet.  The  third  church  was  built  in 
1915  at  a  cost  of  $7,000,  and  is  54  by  54  feet  in  size.  The  present  pastor 
is  G.  L.  Heiserman,  and  the  membership  is  about  180. 

Among  the  lodges  there  are  the  following : 

women's  relief  corps 

Hiram  Steele  Relief  Corps,  organized  Aug.  2^,  1892,  with  fifteen 
charter  members.  The  first  officers  were  president,  Mrs.  E.  R.  Kinzie; 
S.  v.,  Ellen  J.  Burgin  ;  J.  V.,  Effie  Maxson ;  secretary,  Hattie  Garretson ; 
treasurer,  Cynthia  Robinson ;  chaplain,  Emily  Lane ;  conductress,  Ellen 
Hoosier;  guard,  Tillie  Garretson.  The  present  membership  is  forty- 
three,  and  meetings  are  held  the  first  and  third  Saturdays  of  each  month 
at  M.  W.  A.  hall.  Hiram  Steele  post,  to  which  this  corps  was  auxiliary, 
has  been  disbanded  by  death,  and  it  is  the  sad  duty  of  the  corps  to 
decorate  each  year  the  forty  graves  of  the  veterans  whose  bodies  lie 
in  Edgewood  cemetery. 

PYTHIAN   SISTERS 

Purity  Temple,  No.  45,  was  organized  Dec.  8,  1893,  with  twenty- 
two  charter  members.  The  first  officers  were:  Chief,  Mary  Cole; 
senior,  Ella  Carrier;  junior,  Abbie  Miller;  manager,  Ida  Noble;  secre- 
tary, Laura  Whipple;  treasurer,  Alvira  Newman;  protector,  Sada 
Whipple;  guard,  Effie  Maxson;  past  chief.  Belle  Whipple;  trustees, 
Mrs.  Ida  Elliott,  Ida  Mellen  and  Mrs.  Wilcox.  Marie  Todd  is  the 
present  chief.  The  membership  is  forty-two,  and  meetings  are  held 
on  the  second  and  fourth  Fridays  of  each  month.    The  deceased  mem- 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  329 

bers  are :  Rose  Sheppard,  Thursa  Bowers,  Jennie  Richards,  Ed  Miller, 
Dr.  M.  M.  Newman,  M.  F.  Moine,  S.  T.  Richards,  Floy  Farmer,  John 
Haggerman,  Eva  Maxson. 

BROTHERHOOD  OF  AMERICAN   YEOMEN 

Opal  Homestead,  No.  831,  was  organized  Dec.  21,  1901.  The 
first  officers  were:  Foreman,  Puss  Davis;  M.  of  C,  Frieda  Smith;  cor- 
respondent, Eda  Reed ;  chaplain,  E.  C.  Noble ;  M.  of  A.,  Dr.  M.  M.  New- 
man ;  overseer,  Wm.  Sactett ;  guard,  Fred  Smith ;  watchman,  W.  J. 
Alcorn ;  sentinel,  Geo.  Troup ;  Rowena,  Ida  Noble ;  Rebecca,  Clara 
Haggerman.  The  deceased  members  are  Mrs.  Emma  Fenstermann  and 
Dr.  M.  M.  Newman.  Rowland  Steefer  is  the  present  foreman.  The 
homestead  meets  in  the  K.  of  P.  hall  on  the  second  and  last  Thursdays 
of  each  month.    The  membership  is  seventy-eight. 

KNIGHTS   OF  PYTHIAS 

Edgewood  Lodge  No.  358,  Knights  of  Pythias,  was  organized  by 
special  dispensation  December  29,  1892.  Charter  was  obtained  August 
loth,  1893. 

The  first  officers  were:  J.  B.  Morey,  Past  Chancellor;  M.  M. 
Newman,   Chancellor   Commander;  W.   C.   Miller,  Vice   Chancellor; 

E.  G.  Shepard,  Prelate ;  A.  L.  Carrier,  Keeper  of  Records  and  Seal ; 
R.  S.  Huntington,  Master  of  Finance;  E.  E.  Farwell,  Master  of 
Exchequer ;  E.  R.  Derby,  Inner  Guard ;  J.  W.  Garretson,  Outer  Guard ; 
C.  B.  Madison,  Master  at  Arms. 

The  deceased  members  are  as  follows :  M.  M.  Newman,  Myron 
Mellon,  Alex  Hammond,  John  Hageman,  S.  T.  Richards,  John  King, 
W.  D.  Robinson,  H.  E.  Willard,  Geo.  Woolridge,  W.  K.  Pollard,  S.  W. 
Robinson,  G.  F.  Ludwick,  G.  W.  Lynde,  Ira  Bowers,  G.  D.  Culbertson. 

The  present  membership  of  the  society  is  59.  This  organization 
has  a  nice  up-to-date  lodge  room. 

MASONIC    FRATERNITY 

Avalon  Lodge  No.  606,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.,  was  chartered  March  20, 
1909.  The  first  meeting  was  held  March  29th,  1909.  Each  regular 
meeting  is  held  on  or  before  the  full  moon  in  each  month. 

The  first  officers  were  as  follows :  L.  B.  Blanchard,  Worshipful 
Master ;  C.  S.  Todd,  Senior  Warden ;  C.  B.  Madison,  Junior  Warden ; 

F.  H.  Hatch,  Treasurer ;  G.  W.  Pilkington,  Secretary ;  M.  M.  Newman, 
Senior  Deacon ;  F.  L.  Weyant,  Junior  Deacon ;  George  Hobbs,  Tyler. 

The  names  of  the  deceased  members  are  as  follows:  Ira  Bower, 
A.  O.  Seward,  M.  M.  Newman,  Mark  Hamlett. 

The  present  executive  officers  are  as  follows :  F.  L.  Weyant,  Wor- 
shipful Master;  E.  T.  Hamlett,  Secretary.  The  organization  has  at 
present  a  membership  of  6y.  The  society  has  a  well  equipped  lodge 
room  and  everything  necessary  for  putting  on  the  work  in  an  interest- 
ing and  creditable  manner. 


330  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

MODERN  WOODMEN  OF  AMERICA 

Maple  Leaf  Camp  No.  2655  was  chartered  January  2,  1895,  with 
eighteen  charter  members.  The  first  officers  were  Consul  L.  S.  Fisher, 
Adviser  Frank  Densmore,  Clerk  J.  B.  Morey,  Escort  D.  A.  Sherman, 
Physician  W.  C.  Miller,  Managers  L.  D.  Zahrndt  and  M.  H.  Bower. 
Other  charter  members  were  T.  H.  Baeby,  J.  H.  Foster,  Anton  Funk, 
I.  P.  Gates,  A.  H.  Glazier,  C.  S.  Jones,  Cyrus  McKinnis,  Ira  F.  Noble, 
James  O'Rourke,  E.  G.  Piatt,  W.  S.  and  F.  I.  Wolldridge  and  R.  C 
Wheeler.  Deceased  members  are  John  Funk,  W.  D.  Robinson,  John 
Hageman,  Joseph  Willard,  H.  O.  Stone,  H.  Hesner,  L.  J.  Avery,  Mark 
Hamlett,  Emil  Winkler  and  Anton  Funk.  All  records  of  the  lodge 
were  lost  by  fire  in  1908.  The  present  executive  officers  are  Arthur 
Weterlen,  V.  C.  and  C.  S.  Todd,  clerk.  There  are  158  members  and 
the  degree  team  is  considered  one  of  the  best  in  northern  Iowa.  Meet- 
ings first  and  third  Wednesdays. 

ELKADER 

Elkader,  the  county  seat  of  Clayton  county,  lies  in  the  hollow  of 
God's  hand.  Surrounded  on  every  side  by  high,  majestic  hills,  with 
the  river  winding  through  it,  singing  merrily  at  work  and  play,  with 
giant  shade  trees  lining  its  streets,  gifts  of  the  forethought  of  the  pio- 
neers, with  its  hundreds  of  happy  homes  and  handsome  residences,  it 
may  surely  come  up  to  the  ideal  of  the  Peaceful  Valley  in  many  ways. 
Secure  from  storms  on  account  of  the  encircling  hills  and  secure  from 
the  stress  of  adversity  by  the  great  store-house  of  wealth  of  which  it  is 
the  center,  Elkader  has  little  to  fear  from  nature  or  from  man. 

Much  space  has  been  given  to  the  events  of  Elkader's  history  and 
the  present  status  is  given  here  but  briefly.  W.  W.  Davidson  is  mayor  and 
L.  L.  Hulverson,  John  Bahr,  James  P.  Hyde,  Henry  Lenth  and  E.  C. 
Fitzpatrick  are  the  councilmen.  The  city  is  progressive  and  owns  a 
fine  system  of  waterworks,  keeps  its  streets  well  cleaned  and  oiled  and 
is  preparing  to  pave  in  the  near  future.  There  is  a  gas  plant  incor- 
porated in  1906  of  which  Ross  Richardson  is  manager  and  an  electric 
light  plant,  the  latter  owned  by  Schmidt  Bros.  The  county  offices  bring 
much  business  to  the  town  and  make  it  the  meeting  place  for  all  the 
people  of  the  county.  All  lines  of  retail  business  are  well  represented, 
a  fine  opera  house  and  an  excellent  moving  picture  theatre.  It  has  one 
garage,  as  fine  and  complete  as  any  in  the  state  and  another  is  to  be 
built  during  the  coming  year.  The  business  houses  are  of  brick  or 
stone  and  are  most  substantial.  The  stone  arch  bridge  and  the  Catho- 
lic church  are  among  the  finest  pieces  of  architecture  in  Iowa,  while 
the  great  stone  mill  rises  impressively  above  the  rock-lined  walls  of 
the  river,  and  the  massive  concrete  dam  is  not  only  useful  but  pictur- 
esque and  afifords  fine  boating  above  and  excellent  fishing  below. 

The  schools  are  Elkader's  special  pride  and  they  are  among  the 
finest  in  the  state  for  a  town  of  the  size,  the  high  school  being  included 
in  the  Hst  of  the  most  select  of  Iowa.  The  school  buildings  are  sub- 
stantial and  adequate.  Not  only  is  there  a  regular  high  school  course 
but  special  departments  for  manual  training,  domestic  science  and  com- 


PRESENT   VIEW   OF   COUNTY  33 1 

mercial  and  stenographic  studies.  The  present  system  was  established 
in  1873,  prior  to  which  there  were  grade  schools  only.  Since  1873  the 
superintendents  have  been  James  Thompson,  S.  N.  Bixby,  P.  W. 
McClelland,  J.  F.  Thompson,  J.  E.  Webb,  C.  J.  Blymer,  Robert  Reinow, 
A.  E.  Stuelke,  Otto  S.  von  Krog  and  J.  P.  Street. 

The  press  is  represented  by  three  strong  weekly  papers,  all  of 
which  have  great  influence  throughout  the  county.  The  oldest  is  the 
Nord  Iowa  Herold,  established  by  Joseph  Eiboeck  in  1868.  It  was 
the  first  German  newspaper  in  Iowa  north  of  Dubuque.  The  present 
venerable  and  capable  editor  is  Carl  Reinecke  and  the  paper  is  now 
printed  both  in  German  and  English.  It  is  democratic  in  politics.  The 
Register  and  Argus  was  established  in  1878  by  George  H.  Otis,  as  the 
Register,  the  Argus  being  absorbed  later.  This  paper  has  also,  from 
time  to  time  absorbed  other  papers  throughout  the  county.  The  firm 
name  is  D.  G.  Griffith  &  Son,  although  the  senior  member  of  the  firm 
is  dead  and  the  "Son"  continues  the  business  and  maintains  the  high 
standard  and  efficiency  of  the  paper.  This  office  boasts  the  only  mono- 
type in  the  county  and  its  other  equipment,  together  with  contemplated 
improvements,  will  make  it  rank  as  one  of  the  best  printing  offices  in 
northern  Iowa.  The  Clayton  County  Democrat  was  established  in 
1893  by  the  present  editor,  H.  C.  Bishop.  Mr.  Bishop  is  a  forceful  edi- 
torial writer  and  brings  to  his  successful  newspaper  work  his  experi- 
ence both  as  county  superintendent  and  state  senator. 

FIRST  CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

Was  organized  March  12,  1855,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers: William  and  Philedin  Keys  and  Mrs.  Channey,  E.  V.,  Mary,  H. 
and  Harriett  H.  Carter.  What  was  long  known  as  the  "round  church" 
was  built  in  1857  at  a  cost  of  $2,000,  but  later  the  membership  became 
so  reduced  in  numbers  that  the  building  was  sold  to  the  Universalists 
for  $1,500.  Rev.  J.  G.  Hill  of  Garnavillo  was  the  first  Congregational 
preacher  to  hold  regular  services  at  Elkader,  and  Rev.  L.  P.  Mathews 
was  the  first  regular  preacher. 

Mrs,  Mary  Carter  donated  a  lot  for  the  purpose  of  a  church 
building  and  a  foundation  was  laid,  but  the  work  later  abandoned.  For 
a  number  of  years  there  was  no  church  organization,  although  the 
Sunday  school  was  maintained,  as  a  union  school,  during  this  period. 
In  1894  Rev.  B.  Y.  Childs  came  as  a  missionary  and  through  his  zeal 
the  church  was  re-organized.  At  this  time  Mrs.  Mary  Carter  was  the 
only  surviving  charter  member  of  the  first  organization.  The  society 
was  re-incorporated,  January  22,  1895,  with  15  charter  members.  The 
trustees  were  H.  H.  Barnard,  J.  M.  Branch,  Mrs.  Jack,  John  Everall, 
Jr.,  and  H.  W.  Wilke.  A  lot  was  purchased  for  $350,  in  April,  1896, 
and  a  church  building  commenced  which  was  completed  and  dedicated 
June  20,  1897,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Franklin  L.  Fisk.  The 
following  is  the  list  of  pastors:  Reverends  B.  V.  Childs,  1894;  F.  L. 
Fisk,  1894-9;  G.  M.  Baxter,  1899-1905;  A.  S.  Hock,  1906-7;  J.  G. 
Dickey,  1907-9;  M.  L.  Stimson,  1909-11 ;  R.  G.  Hodden,  1911-14;  Isaac 
Cassell,  present  pastor. 

The  church  has  received  the  following  gifts:  in  1898  the  pipe 


332  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

organ  displayed  at  the  Omaha  exposition  was  purchased  by  F.  D. 
Bayless,  for  $800  and  presented  to  the  church ;  in  the  same  year_  Mrs. 
Carohne  Hetrick  donated  the  parsonage  and  the  lots  upon  which  it 
stands,  these  being  valued  at  $2,000.  In  1909,  Mrs.  Ella  Merritt  and 
Mrs.  Mary  Jane  Williams,  daughters  of  Isaac  Havens,  gave  the  church 
bell,  costing  $175.  The  value  of  the  church  property  is  $9,000.  The 
church  has  the  following  societies:  ladies'  guild,  Mrs.  W.  H.  Wilke, 
president ;  IMissionary  Society,  Mrs.  A.  J.  Carpenter,  president ;  Chris- 
tian Endeavor,  Viola  Moran,  president;  Junior  Endeavor,  Miss  Mae 
Gifford,  superintendent,  and  Sunday  school,  J.  F.  Becker,  superintend- 
ent, with  average  attendance  of  129.  The  church  has  twice  entertained 
the  Northwestern  Association  of  Congregational  Churches,  of  which 
it  is  a  member.  It  is  in  excellent  condition  both  spiritually  and 
materially  and  looks  forward  to  great  accomplishments. 

EVANGELICAL  FRIEDEN's  CHURCH 

Was  organized  December  31,  1905,  by  Rev.  F.  Leonhard.  Char- 
ter members :  H.  S.  Wilke,  pres.,  Henry  Storbeck,  H.  C.  Katschowsky, 
J.  G.  Hagensick,  Henry  Dohrer,  John  Uecker,  Henry  Freitag,  W.  E. 
Witt,  Franz  Lembke,  J.  C.  Stemmer,  J.  Kuehl,  Jacob  Eggimann, 
August  Uecker,  E.  Meisner,  M.  Dittmer,  F.  L.  Hockhaus,  Henry 
Leuth,  Wm.  Hagensick,  Maria  Alitz,  Mina  Feldman  and  Carl  Mecklen- 
burg. In  1906  the  M.  E.  church  was  purchased  and  in  1908  Rev.  F. 
Leonhard  was  forced  to  resign  on  account  of  ill  health.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Rev.  C.  H.  Franke,  July  16,  1908.  In  this  year  a  parsonage 
was  erected  and  in  1909  an  adjoining  building  was  purchased  for  a 
school  house.  The  value  of  the  church  property  is  $10,000,  and  is  free 
of  debt.  Morning  services  are  conducted  in  the  German  language  and 
evening  services  in  English.  The  church  roll  includes  seventy-eight 
active  members.  A  valuable  aid  in  the  church  work  is  Frauen-Verein, 
organized  May  20,  1906.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Stemmer,  who  died  October 
8,  1909,  was  the  first  president.  Through  their  efforts  they  have  raised 
$5,988.02,  of  which  $4,656.12  has  been  expended  for  church  purposes. 
The  present  membership  is  126.  There  is  also  a  young  people's  soci- 
ety of  50  members  of  which  ]\Iiss  Vina  Katschkowsky  is  president. 
The  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  of  100,  the  pastor  being  the 
superintendent.     There  is  also  an  excellent  choir. 

MASONIC  ORDER 

Elkader  Lodge  No.  'j^,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  was  organized  under  a 
dispensation  granted  by  the  Grand  Master  of  the  M.  ]\I.  Grand  Lodge 
of  Iowa,  June  8,  1855,  to  J.  W.  Libby,  John  Williamson,  E.  G.  Rolf, 
John  Downie,  James  Dickson,  Isaac  Havens  and  E.  B.  Stockton.  The 
first  regular  meeting  was  held  June  16,  1855.  The  first  officers  were 
J.  W.  Libby,  W.  M. ;  John  Williamson,  S.  W. ;  E.  G.  Rolf,  J.  W. ;  Isaac 
Havens,  treasurer ;  E.  B.  Stockton,  secretary ;  Dan  Lawrence,  S.  D. ; 
James  Dickson,  J.  D.  The  lodge  was  chartered  June  5,  1886.  Within 
a  year  the  membership  had  increased  to  24.  The  lodge  built  a  third 
story  on  a  building  erected  by  E.  G.  Rolf,  in  1856,  occupying  this  until 


PRESENT   VIEW    OF    COUNTY  333 

1874,  when  it  leased  the  third  story  of  the  building  occupied  by  H.  W. 
and  G.  H.  Wilke.  The  first  death  of  a  member  was  that  of  Capt.  Alvah 
Bevens,  who  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge.  On  account  of 
internal  dissention  the  lodge  suffered  a  loss  of  twenty-one  members 
between  1873  and  1881.  September  7,  the  lodge  room  on  the  third 
story  of  the  Elkader  bank  building  was  occupied  and  these  fine  rooms 
are  now  the  lodge  home.  In  May,  1905,  the  lodge  celebrated  its  semi- 
centennial. One  hundred  and  forty  Masons  attended  and  every  lodge 
in  the  county  was  represented.  At  the  date  of  the  semi-centennial  the 
membership  was  79  and  the  present  membership  is  88.  The  total  num- 
ber on  its  rolls  from  organization  is  391.  Those  who  have  acted  as 
presiding  officers  since  the  organization  of  the  lodge  are,  in  order,  as 
follows :  J.  W.  Libby,  John  Williamson,  A.  D.  Cook,  D.  R.  Mills.  R.  C. 
Place,  Joseph  Eiboeck,  P.  C.  Young,  B.  S.  Whitney,  Edward  Week, 
H.  S.  Merritt,  J.  F.  Thompson,  F.  H.  Carter,  Adna  Hall,  H.  C. 
Stearns,  H.  C.  Ehrlich,  T.  M.  Davidson,  S.  V.  Jack,  H.  Meyer,  J.  F. 
Becker,  A.  C.  Hagensick,  John  Everall,  A.  J.  Carpenter,  H.  D.  Brown, 
William  E.  Witt,  Henry  C.  Gmelin,  and  H.  D.  Brown.  Anton  Kramer 
has  been  treasurer  for  more  than  thirty  years  and  J.  H.  Hill  secretary 
since  1894.  Since  the  semi-centennial  the  three  surviving  charter  mem- 
bers have  died.  They  were  O.  F.  Davis,  died  November  22,  1908; 
Isaac  Havens,  died  December  20,  1906 ;  J.  W.  Libby,  the  last  survivor 
and  the  first  presiding  officer,  died  July  3,  191 5.  The  lodge  is  strong 
financially  and  its  roll  has  always  included  many  of  Elkader's  best 
citizens. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

Elisha  Boardman  Post  No.  184,  received  its  charter  from  J.  B. 
Cooke,  department  commander,  June  25,  1883.  The  charter  mem- 
bers were  J.  I\I.  Leach,  C.  H.  Stearns,  T.  M.  Davidson,  D.  G.  Griffith, 
T.  G.  Price,  George  Wolf,  Charles  H.  Robbins,  Thomas  Boots,  O.  F. 
Davis,  James  Boots,  Edwin  W.  Stanton  and  Charles  Hartman.  Since 
its  organization  there  have  been  66  members.  The  post  has  done  much 
to  keep  alive  the  memories  of  the  war,  to  aid  comrades  with  sympathy 
and  with  material  aid  where  needed,  and  to  accord  due  military  honors 
to  those  whom  death  has  called  from  the  ranks.  T.  M.  Davidson  is 
the  commander  of  the  post  which  was  named  in  honor  of  Captain 
Elisha  Boardman  of  Elkader,  and  J.  H.  Hill  is  adjutant. 

MODERN   WOODMEN  OF  AMERICA 

Mystic  Camp  was  instituted  at  Elkader  by  Deputy  Head  Counsel 
W.  H.  VonGusko,  Alarch  22,  1887.  The  first  officers  were  venerable 
counsel,  Charles  Reugnitz  ;  adviser,  D.  D.  Donnan  ;  banker,  H.  Meyers ; 
clerk,  J.  H.  Hill ;  escort,  G.  A.  Fairfield ;  watchman,  Thomas  Christen- 
sen;  physician,  P.  F.  Hall;  sentry,  W.  W.  Beers;  trustees,  Joseph 
Lamm,  John  Everall  and  D.  G.  Griffith.  The  camp  grew  rapidly  in 
membership  and  soon  leased  quarters  in  Odd  Fellows  hall.  The  first 
death  in  the  order  was  that  of  J.  N.  Strader. 

In  1888  the  Masonic  hall  was  leased.     The  lodge  is  now  in  a  flour- 


334  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

ishing  condition  and  has  been  of  great  aid  to  its  members.     G.  G. 
Cassidy  is  V,  C.  and  W.  W.  Davidson,  clerk. 

THE  ELKADER  AUTO  CLUB 

Was  organized  December  28,  191 1,  with  the  following  officers: 
W.  W.  Davidson,  President;  E.  W.  Kregel,  Vice  President;  W.  C. 
Reimer,  Secretary  and  Treasurer.  The  object  of  the  organization  is  to 
encourage  the  building  of  better  roads,  putting  up  sign  boards,  and  also 
the  fixing  of  the  Smith  hill  about  two  miles  out  of  Elkader. 

p.  E.  O,  ELKADER 

Chapter  B.  L.  of  Elkader,  la.,  was  organized  January  23,  1901,  at 
the  home  of  J.  R.  Bayless,  with  the  following  charter  members,  each 
holding  office  as  follows :  Mrs.  Mary  Baxter,  President ;  Mrs.  Nellie 
Perry  Price,  Vice  President;  Mrs.  May  Leigh,  Recording  Secretary; 
Mrs.  Stella  Corlett,  Corresponding  Secretary;  Mrs.  Emma  Gossman, 
Chaplain ;  Mrs.  Gussie  Bayless,  Treasurer ;  Mrs.  Anna  Paul  Wilke, 
Guard ;  Mrs.  Minnie  Meyer,  Journalist. 

Meetings  are  held  every  alternate  Friday  at  the  homes  of  the 
members.  Chapter  B.  L.  has  lost  by  death  two  members,  Mrs.  Gussie 
Bayless  and  Mrs.  Jessie  Morse  Beyer.  Mrs.  Nellie  Perry  Price  held 
the  office  of  State  Recording  Secretary  of  the  Iowa  Grand  Chapter  dur- 
ing the  years  of  1906  and  1907,  and  one  of  the  charter  members,  Mrs. 
Emma  Gossman,  is  now  State  President  of  the  Minnesota  Grand  Chap- 
ter. Besides  contributing  to  the  National  enterprise  the  educational 
fund  of  the  order,  the  society  has  assisted  various  local  enterprises 
such  as  the  school  library,  the  band,  etc. ;  and  it  has  also  sent  flowers 
to  the  sick  and  Christmas  baskets  to  the  needy.  It  also  contributed 
annually  to  the  Travelers'  Aid. 

BROTHERHOOD  AMERICAN  YEOMAN 

The  Elkader  Homestead  No.  269  was  organized  on  the  28th  day  of 
February,  1899,  and  charter  granted  on  that  date.  There  were  twenty- 
eight  charter  members.  The  first  officers  were:  Foreman,  Wm.  E. 
Witt;  Correspondent,  Alfred  L.  Barthel;  Master  of  Ceremonies, 
Marvin  Cook;  Master  of  Accounts,  John  G.  Hagensick;  Overseer, 
Fred  Cook ;  Chaplain,  Aug.  Uecker ;  Lady  Rowena,  Mary  A.  Griffith ; 
Lady  Rebecca,  Charlotte  Hagensick.  The  number  of  benefit  members 
is  169,  insurance  in  force  nearly  $200,000,  annual  mortuary  fund 
$2,200,  annual  general  fund  $180.00  The  present  officers  are:  Fore- 
man, Ben  F.  Falkenhainer ;  Correspondent,  W.  H.  O'Brien.  The 
deceased  members  are :  Fred  Cook,  former  sheriff  and  charter  member ; 
Prof.  Alfred  L.  Barthel,  charter  member;  Jennie  M.  Toutsch,  Mildred 
Switzer,  Mrs.  J.  C.  Stemmer,  D.  G.  Griffith,  charter  member ;  Isabella 
Hulverson,  Ernest  E.  Wagner,  Mary  E.  Kramer,  Matie  Landon,  G.  H. 
Schulte,  Martin  Dittmer,  John  Uecker,  charter  member. 


PRESENT   VIEW    OF    COUNTY  335 

CATHOLIC  ORDER  OF  FORESTERS 

The  St.  Joseph's  Court  No.  424  was  organized  April  30,  1894,  with 
30  charter  members. 

The  first  officers  were:  D.  D.  Murphy,  Chief  Ranger;  F.  A. 
Neimeyer,  Vice  Chief  Ranger;  M.  Fitzpatrick,  Recording  Secretary; 
M.  P.  Dunn,  Financial  Secretary;  J.  K.  Molumby,  Treasurer.  The 
trustees  were:  T.  H.  Donlon,  F.  J.  Uriell,  and  D.  E.  Gleason. 

The  present  officers  are:  E.  C.  Fitzpatrick,  Chief  Ranger;  J.  J. 
Finnegan,  Recording  Secretary.  The  present  number  of  members  is 
90,  meeting  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  each  month  at  St.  Joseph's  Hall. 
The  deceased  members  are :  William  Roach,  Daniel  Maher,  Thomas 
Mulligan,  and  Matthew  Fitzpatrick,  who  was  a  charter  member. 

women's  COURT  OF  FORESTERS 

St.  Joseph's  Court,  No.  108,  was  organized  March  17,  1897,  by 
Deputy  Mary  R.  Cain  of  Waukon,  Iowa.  The  first  officers  were  C.  R., 
Mary  Dunn ;  V.  C.  R.,  Margaret  Dunn ;  R.  S.,  Hannah  Quinn ;  F.  S., 
Mary  Molumby ;  Treasurer,  Mary  Uriell ;  Trustees,  Elizabeth  Fitz- 
patrick, Maggie  Dunn,  Katie  Quinn ;  S.  C,  Bridget  Dunn ;  J.  C,  Lizzie 
Meyer;  J.  S.,  Mary  Thyne;  Med.  Ex.,  Dr.  W.  J.  McGrath.  In  1900 
there  were  but  25  members  but  after  this  time  the  order  grew  rapidly 
and  the  membership  is  now  100.  Meetings  are  held  the  third  Saturday 
of  each  month  at  St.  Joseph's  Hall  and  the  court  is  one  of  the  leading 
social  and  charitable  organizations  of  Elkader.  Through  their  own 
efforts,  in  two  years  they  fitted  the  old  church  into  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  halls  in  the  state  at  an  expense  of  $2,700,  the  committee  in 
charge  being  Margaret  McLaughlin,  Kate  Regan,  Margaret  Liddy, 
Celia  Kelleher  and  Calista  Humphrey. 

The  attention  of  the  court  is  now  turned  toward  beautifying  the 
Catholic  cemetery,  water  works  will  be  installed,  rock  driveways  and  a 
handsome  fence.  Work  has  been  commenced  on  the  building  of  a 
mortuary  chapel  in  memory  of  the  three  priests  buried  in  the  cemetery. 
Fathers  O'Bern,  O'Shay  and  Quigley.  The  committee  in  charge  is 
Margaret  Canada,  president;  Margaret  Roach,  secretary;  Mary  Uriell, 
treasurer,  and  Hannah  Kossuth,  Kate  Downey,  Emma  Thillen,  Mayme 
Geraghty,  Mayme  McGee  and  Kate  Kelleher.  Anne  Kelleher  is  the 
present  head  of  the  court.  The  deceased  members  are :  Katie  Mahr, 
Sara  E.  Dunn,  Rose  Downey,  Amelia  Siebretz,  Margaret  G.  Allen, 
Mary  Molumby,  Elizabeth  Fitzpatrick,  Sara  O'Leary  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
Cassutt. 

REBEKAH  LODGE 

The  Hazel  Valley  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  466,  was  organized  March 
2,  1906.  It  was  instituted  by  Grand  Master  G.  L.  Snyder  of  Marion, 
Iowa,  assisted  by  Robert  Quigley,  and  Miss  lola  Quigley,  district  dep- 
uty president,  both  of  Pocket  City  Rebekah  Lodge  of  McGregor,  Iowa, 
and  Mr.  and  Mrs.  B.  A.  Lake,  of  Coral  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  150, 
Whitehall,  Wis.  There  was  twenty-seven  charter  members.  The  first 
officers  were:  Noble  Grand,  Miss  Maud  I.  Tyler;  Vice  Grand,  Miss 


336  MEMOIRS  OF  CLAYTON   COUNTY 

Florence   Nichols,   Secretary,   Mrs.   Bertha   Grube,   Treasurer,    Mrs. 
Charlotte  Hagensick. 

The  present  officers  are:  Noble  Grand,  Miss  Ella  Crowe;  Secre- 
tary, Mrs.  Maud  Tyler  Anderson.  The  membership  is  26,  and  meet- 
ings are  held  the  first  Tuesday  of  each  month,  at  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  hall. 
The  deceased  members  are :  Melissa  Cooper,  charter  member ;  Rachel 
Partch,  charter  member ;  E.  C.  Gifford,  Hannah  Hadrich  Scheer. 

THE  ORDER  OF  EASTERN  STAR 

The  Order  of  Eastern  Star  of  Elkader,  Iowa,  was  organized  on 
the  27th  day  of  February,  1894,  and  on  October  4th,  1894,  their  char- 
ter was  granted,  with  23  charter  members. 

The  first  officers  were:  Stella  Corlett,  D.  G.  Griffith,  Worthy 
Matrons;  Associate  Matron,  Mrs.  Emma  Gossman;  Secretary,  Mattie 
Everall;  Treasurer,  Mary  Griffith;  Conductress,  Carohne  Becker; 
Chaplain,  Elizabeth  M.  Paul;  Adah,  Minnie  Meyer;  Ruth,  Grace  Jack; 
Esther,  Ella  Lamm;  Martha,  Mrs.  S.  F.  Leach;  Electa,  Clara  Cook; 
Warder,  Lizzie  Stemmer;  Sentinel,  Elizabeth  Stanton.  The  chapter 
meets  first  Wednesday  of  each  month  at  the  Masonic  Hall;  member- 
ship 127. 

The  present  officers  are :  Worthy  Matron,  Louise  Leibrock ;  Secre- 
tary, Lizzie  Leibrock.  The  deceased  members  are :  Fred  Cook,  D.  G. 
Griffith,  Joseph  Lamm,  Lizzie  Stemmer,  Lillie  Smith,  Elizabeth  Lei- 
brock, Mate  Landon,  Jane  Munger,  Molie  Becker,  G.  H.  Schulte,  A.  L. 
Barthel,  Dr.  Alice  Carpenter,  Lena  Talley  and  Martin  Dittmer. 

COTERIE  CLUB 

Was  organized  in  1898,  with  42  charter  members.  The  first  offi- 
cers were  Ella  Ford,  president ;  Jessie  Blake-Goetz,  vice  president ; 
Kathryn  Kramer-Bradley,  secretary;  Caroline  Becker,  treasurer;  Inez 
Ford,  reporter.  Ella  Wilke  is  the  present  president  and  Lulu  Murphy, 
secretary.  Meetings  are  on  alternate  Tuesday  evenings,  from  Sep- 
tember until  June,  at  the  homes  of  the  members.  In  1901  the  club 
affiliated  with  the  State  Federation  of  Clubs.  The  club  is  interested  in 
literary  and  benevolent  work,  has  handled  a  traveling  library  for  two 
years  and  has  had  lecture  courses  for  four  years,  and  has  been  active 
in  other  work.  The  tenth  and  fifteenth  anniversaries  of  the  club  were 
celebrated  with  banquets.  Deceased  members  are  Dr.  Alice  Carpenter 
and  Mollie  Schmidt-Becker.  Charter  members  holding  continuous 
membership  are  Nelly  Perry  Price,  Anna  Paul  Wilke,  Ella  Wilke, 
Caroline  Becker  and  Elizabeth  Leibrock. 

ELKPORT 

Elkport  was  laid  out  in  1855  by  Frederick  Hartge.  The  town  was 
named  after  Elk  creek  which  empties  into  the  Turkey  river  at  this  place. 
The  first  house  was  built  by  Frederick  Hartge  and  the  first  store  was 
kept  by  John  Garber.  The  post  office  was  estabhshed  in  1852  with 
John  Garber  as  postmaster.     The  post  office  at  East  Elkport  was 


PRESENT   VIEW    OF    COUNTY  337 

established  in  1878  and  John  Garber  was  also  its  first  postmaster. 
Elkport  was  incorporated  in  1895  and  the  first  officers  were:  Mayor, 
Michael  Costigan ;  Clerk,  Geo.  Kriebs ;  Councilmen,  J.  C.  Beck,  Peter 
Flaherty  and  F.  J.  Zapf.  In  1909  there  was  considerable  rivalry 
between  Elkport  and  East  Elkport,  or  Garber.  Elkport  was  a  village 
before  the  coming  of  the  railroad  and  the  station  was  located  outside 
the  incorporated  limit.  Later  East  Elkport  was  laid  out  and  its  name 
changed  to  Garber.  This  new  town  included  the  station  and  when  the 
name  was  changed  its  people  appealed  to  the  railway  commission  to 
have  the  name  of  the  station  changed  also.  Elkport peopleobjectedtothis, 
claiming  that  they  furnished  much  the  larger  share  of  the  business  and 
were  entitled  to  have  the  station  called  Elkport.  The  commission 
decided  that  inasmuch  as  the  station  lay  within  the  limits  of  Garber,  it 
must  be  called  by  that  name,  but  that  Elkport  had  the  perfect  right  to 
maintain  its  identity  under  the  old  name.  Garber  is  now  a  village  of  126 
inhabitants  and  Elkport  of  212.  The  combined  population  being  but  ten 
greater  than  that  of  Elkport  in  1900.  The  present  mayor  of  Elkport 
is  Louis  Bentschneider  and  the  clerk,  Delbert  Morley.  Councilmen  are 
S.  White,  John  Balls,  John  Wittman,  Peter  Bahr,  and  Henry  Plagman. 
The  electric  plant  has  been  owned  by  Wm.  Rutledge,  but  this  has  been 
sold  to  Schmidt  Brothers  of  Elkader  and  it  is  expected  that  the  lighting 
systems  of  Elkport  and  Garber  will  soon  be  added  to  the  system  with 
current  supplied  from  Elkader.  The  first  school  house  was  built  in 
1854.  This  was  succeeded  in  1868  by  a  stone  building  and  in  1895  by 
a  fine  brick  structure  costing  $5,000.  It  is  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
schools  of  the  state  for  a  town  of  its  size.  There  are  four  rooms  and 
Prof.  Richard  Vermilya  is  superintendent  and  Dr.  G.  M.  Thein  is 
president  of  the  Board.  The  postmaster  is  Asa  G.  Kriebs.  There  are 
three  fraternities,  Odd  Fellows,  Modern  Brotherhood,  and  Modem 
Woodmen  of  America ;  two  general  stores,  garage,  and  an  excellent 
opera  house  owned  by  a  company  of  citizens.  There  are  two  churches, 
the  Lutheran,  of  which  Rev.  Paulsen  is  pastor,  and  Catholic,  in  charge 
of  Rev.  Father  Minogue. 

Garber,  located  just  across  the  river,  has  a  bank  and  good  stores, 
but  depends  upon  Elkport  for  its  church  and  fraternal  life.  The  mayor 
is  H.  H.  Musfelt ;  Clerk,  A.  J.  Schnepf ;  Councilmen,  G.  W.  Hammen, 
August  Fritz,  C.  Schnepf,  B.  A.  Voss  and  A.  M.  Zapf.  L.  A.  Zearley 
is  postmaster. 

FARMERSBURG 

Farmersburg  is  a  busy  up-to-date  little  town  of  some  300  inhabi- 
tants, located  on  the  Elkader  branch  of  the  Milwaukee  railroad  about 
midway  between  Beulah  and  Elkader.  The  pride  of  the  city  is  in  its 
opera  house  which  was  dedicated  July  2,  1910,  D.  D.  Murphy  being  the 
orator ;  and  the  modern  and  substantial  school  house  which  was  erected 
in  1914.  The  earlier  history  of  Farmersburg  has  been  given  in  preced- 
ing chapters.  The  present  mayor  is  W.  F.  Fueling;  clerk,  Arnold 
Oelke ;  councilmen,  John  Sabbann,  Henry  Vullgraf,  Henry  Oelke,  Jr., 
Otto  Fueling,  and  E.  C.  Oelke.  There  is  an  electric  light  plant ;  the 
school  building  is  of  brick  and  cost  $12,000,  has  five  rooms  and  a  base- 
ment.    M.  B.  Merriman  is  the  superintendent ;  Ernest  Haltmyer,  pres- 


338  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

ident  of  the  Board,  and  W.  Q.  Adams,  secretary.  There  are  courses 
in  Domestic  Science  and  Manual  Training.  The  opera  house  cost 
$3,000  and  was  built  by  the  citizens  in  conjunction  with  the  Masonic 
Lodge.  There  are  three  general  stores,  bank,  hotel,  elevator  and 
lumber  yards,  and  the  usual  retail  lines  are  well  represented.  The 
Methodists  maintain  a  church  organization. 

LUTHERAN  CHURCH 

This  strong  church  organization  was  organized  May  19,  1900. 
Henry  Oelke,  Chas.  Hinsch,  Albert  Fueling,  F.  Klinge,  J.  Sabbann,  R. 
Scherf  and  H.  Englehart  were  charter  members.  For  ten  years  the 
congregation  used  the  Methodist  church,  but  in  19 10  a  frame  building 
costing  $6,000  was  erected.  A  parsonage  costing  $1,600  had  already 
been  built.  Rev.  G.  F.  Braun  was  the  first  pastor  from  1900  to  1906. 
Succeeding  pastors  were  Reverends  H.  Weise,  N.  Gadow,  E.  Rett, 
Theo.  Guetztaffer,  and  the  present  pastor  is  G.  F.  Braun.  An  excel- 
lent parochial  school  ,is  maintained  and  there  are  48  families  in  the 
congregation.  The  church  property  is  free  from  debt.  There  is  a 
Ladies'  Aid  society  of  which  Mrs.  Henry  Klinge  is  president.  Ernest 
Fueling  is  the  president  of  the  congregation. 

MODERN  WOODMEN  OF  AMERICA 

Cedar  Camp,  No.  3246,  was  chartered  Sept.  26,  1895,  with  15 
charter  members.  The  first  officers  elected  Dec.  28,  1895,  were  A.  L. 
Chase,  V.  C. ;  Gottlieb  Zurcher,  W.  A. ;  C.  F.  Meier,  clerk ;  J.  T. 
Adams,  assistant  clerk;  Ed  Matthew,  banker;  C.  L.  Knight,  escort; 
C.  W.  Oelke,  watchman ;  J.  F.  Mertens,  sentry ;  J.  W.  Miller  and  L.  L. 
Renshaw,  physicians ;  Aug.  Kluss,  manager.  Deceased  members  are 
S.  J.  Corlett,  Wm.  Dahlstrom,  James  Church  and  Aug.  Kluss.  The 
camp  has  39  members  and  the  present  executives  are  E.  Haltmeyer, 
V.  C.,  and  John  Sabbann,  clerk. 

MODERN  BROTHERHOOD  OF  AMERICA 

Charity  Lodge,  No.  142,  organized  April  16,  1909,  has  a  member- 
ship of  29.  The  present  executives  are  H.  D.  Hinsch,  president,  and 
John  Sabbann,  secretary.  This  lodge  had  a  membership  of  60  when 
organized,  but  on  account  of  a  raise  in  the  rates  it  has  lost  many 
members. 

MASONIC  ORDER 

National  Lodge,  No.  172,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  of  Farmersburg  was 
chartered  June  7,  1865.  The  first  officers  were  Thos.  D.  White, 
W.  M.;  Cyrus  F.  Hall,  S.  W.;  M.  A.  Knight,  J.  W.;  Chas.  Watkins, 
secretary;  M.  Slaughter,  treasurer.  The  lodge  was  first  instituted  at 
NationaJ  and  moved  to  Farmersburg  July  10,  1889.  The  lodge  is  in  a 
flourishmg  condition  financially  and  otherwise  and  has  fifty-one  mem- 
bers. Otto  F.  Fueling  is  now  worthy  master  and  W.  Q.  Adams  is  the 
secretary,  an  office  which  he  has  held  for  twenty-nine  years. 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  339 

ROYAL  NEIGHBORS  OF  AMERICA 

Palm  Leaf  Camp,  No.  3198,  was  instituted  September  2,  1902,  by 
Deputy  Supreme  Oracle  Eller.  The  first  officers  were  Oracle,  Claudie 
Meier ;  Vice-Oracle,  Cella  Mathews ;  Recorder,  Marie  Sherman ; 
Chancellor,  Clara  Dandenburger ;  Marshal,  Louis  Brownson.  Since 
its  organization  it  has  lost  three  members :  Rica  Possehl,  Marine  Sher- 
man and  Hattie  Kishman,  by  death.  The  lodge  holds  its  meetings  in 
the  Masonic  Hall  the  first  and  third  Tuesdays  of  each  month  and  has 
a  membership  of  twenty-one.  The  present  Oracle  is  Mrs.  Mina 
Dahlstrom  and  the  recorder  Ina  Mathews. 

GARNAVILLO 

All  of  the  towns  of  Clayton  county  progressed  in  wealth  and 
importance  during  the  early  years  of  the  twentieth  century  even  if 
some  of  them  did  not  gain  in  population.  It  would  be  monotonous  to 
give  a  list  of  the  improvements  or  to  try  to  follow,  step  by  step,  the 
gradual  processes  by  which  they  have  grown  to  the  thriving  condition 
in  which  they  are  today.  All  that  can  be  done  is  to  give  an  outline  of 
some  of  the  greater  events  and  the  mile  stones  of  their  progress. 
Garnavillo  busied  itself,  in  1901,  with  plans  for  an  electric  line  from 
Andros  Hollow  down  Brush  creek  to  Eckardt's  Siding.  A  meeting 
was  held  and  $75,000  in  stock  was  subscribed.  The  project  languished 
but  was  revived  in  1907,  when  there  were  great  hopes  that  the  Dan 
Patch  line  would  pass  through  Garnavillo.  The  line  was  sur- 
veyed and  in  October  the  business  men  gave  a  banquet  to  the 
surveyors,  Mr.  J.  O.  Crosby  making  an  address  of  welcome.  It 
was  believed  that  this  line  was  certain  to  go  through  and  the 
proposed  route  was  from  Garnavillo  to  Colesburg  via  East  and 
West  Elkport.  The  panic  of  1907  ended  all  hope  of  railroad  building 
throughout  the  country  and  the  plan  was  not  again  taken  up.  Garna- 
villo has  continued  to  prosper,  however,  and  it  has  today  stores  which 
would  do  credit  to  a  city  of  very  much  larger  size.  In  1904,  the  Gar- 
navillo Savings  Bank  was  added  with  W.  F.  Meyer,  president,  and 
Henry  Dettmer,  cashier.  An  attempt  was  made  to  run  a  newspaper  and 
the  Independent  was  established,  but  discontinued  publication  in  1908, 
and  was  merged  with  the  Register  and  Argus  of  Elkader.  The  electric 
franchise  was  voted  to  Schmidt  Bros.  &  Co.  at  Elkader  and  Garnavillo 
now  enjoys  the  use  of  electricity. 

H.  H.  Kuhlman  is  mayor  of  the  thriving  little  city  and  H.  C. 
Kuenzel,  clerk.  The  financial  condition  is  good,  and  the  school  system 
is  excellent.  The  Garnavillo  Tribune  was  established  in  1910  and  is 
an  excellent  local  paper  with  good  advertising  patronage,  edited  by 
R.  O.  Schumacher.    Among  the  churches  and  lodges  are  the  following : 

ST.  Paul's  Lutheran  church 

St.  Paul's  Lutheran  church  at  Garnavillo  was  founded  in  1852,  at 
which  time  a  number  of  German  pioneers  gather  to  organize  a  church. 
The  first  elders  of  the  church  were  J.  G.  Kregel  and  Casper  Backhaus. 


340  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

The  first  trustees  were  John  G.  Heye,  Christian  Haukammer  and  H. 
Schumacher.  The  material  for  the  church  was  hewn  from  the  forest 
of  the  Turkey  and  the  Volga  rivers.  At  first  the  congregation  had  to 
be  satisfied  with  the  chance  ministrations  of  Methodist  itinerants,  but  a 
pastor  was  soon  secured  in  the  person  of  H.  Mueller.  In  1854,  the 
first  parsonage  was  erected.  The  following  is  the  list  of  pastors  and 
their  term  of  service:  H.  Mueller,  1853-1856;  P.  Stockfelt,  1856-59; 
Theodore  Klingsore,  January  to  May,  1859;  B.  Klein,  1859-62;  Fr. 
Rentsch,  1862-68;  H.  Hermann,  1869-70;  J.  B.  Erbens,  1870-77;  U. 
Thomas,  April  to  September,  1877;  B.  Starke,  1877-80;  Fuerchtenicht, 
1880-82;  F.  Sommerlad,  1882-90;  DickoiT,  1890-92;  F.  Sommerlad, 
1892-1902;  K.  W.  Braun,  1902  to  date. 

In  1878,  the  church  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  the  congregation 
made  immediate  efforts  to  rebuild  and  this  was  done  at  once.  Rev. 
Frank  Sommerlad  was  pastor  of  the  church  for  twenty  years,  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  during  which  he  was  allowed  leave  of  absence. 
He  was  succeeded  by  the  present  pastor,  K.  W.  Braun,  in  1902.  The 
church  is  highly  prosperous  and  has  a  large  and  devoted  membership. 
Aside  from  the  church  there  is  a  commodious  parsonage  and  parochial 
school. 

St.  Peter's  Lutheran  church  also  has  a  strong  membership  and  St. 
Joseph's  Catholic  church  is  treated  of  in  another  chapter. 

ODD  FELLOWS 

The  Garnavillo  Lodge  No.  29,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  organized  the  25th 
day  of  December,  1850,  the  petitioners  being  Benjamin  F.  Fox,  Ezra 
Hurd,  Gilbert  Douglass,  Frank  Smith,  Thomas  G.  Drips,  Allen 
Mullenix  and  E.  P.  Atkins.  The  charter  was  granted  on  the  27th 
day  of  October,  1852,  and  up  to  that  the  time  the  members  that  were 
admitted  by  initiation  were :  David  G.  Rogers,  H.  S.  Granger,  B.  B. 
Hammond,  Dr.  Frederick  Andros,  Dr.  John  Linton,  O.  F.  Stevens, 
James  Preece,  Franklin  Emerson,  Joseph  K.  Reed,  Joseph  Drips,  Alvah 
C,  Rogers,  Alex  Falconer,  Judge  Reuben  Noble,  S.  M.  Swain,  C.  G. 
Hayward,  Abner  Decen,  E.  W.  Aldrich,  John  O.  Porter,  Evan  Linton, 
Isaac  Depew,  E.  Douglass,  W.  H.  Baker,  H.  K.  Averill,  W.  R.  Miller, 
Lafayette  Bigelow,  H.  D.  Evans,  Robert  L.  Freeman,  L.  Pickle,  John 
Orr,  S.  L.  Peck,  G.  W.  Stephenson,  and  Captain  Andrew  W.  Drips, 
making  forty  charter  members  in  all. 

The  lodge  has  two  hundred  names  enrolled  on  the  list  of  members 
who  signed  the  constitution,  among  them  many  who  were  well  known 
and  prominent  in  the  early  days  of  Clayton  county,  men  like  Captain 
R.  Read,  after  whom  Read  township  was  named;  Judge  Reuben  Noble, 
Captain  Andrew  W.  Drips,  killed  in  the  battle  of  Pea  Ridge,  and  who 
was  postmaster  at  Garnavillo  before  the  war;  Thos.  G.  Drips,  former 
sheriff  of  Clayton  county ;  Dr.  Frederick  Andros,  John  W.  Gillett,  Dr. 
John  Linton  and  many  others.  The  lodge  has  a  hall  of  its  own  and 
regular  meetings  are  held  every  Saturday  evening.  At  present  the 
membership  numbers  thirty,  and  their  officers  are:  N.  G.,  Adam  C. 
Oelfke ;  V.  G.,  Chris  F.  Kregel ;  Recording  Secretary,  Wm.  A.  Kregel ; 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  34 1 

Treasurer,  J.  Fred  Schumacher;  W.,  T.  J.  Krasinsky;  I.  G.,  Albert 
Peterson. 

Garnavillo  Lodge  No.  29,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  is  the  oldest  fraternal  organ- 
ization in  Clayton  county,  Iowa,  and  its  first  officers  were:  N.  G., 
Thomas  G.  Drips;  V.  G.,  Frank  Smith;  Recording  Secretary, 
Benjamin  F.  Fox ;  Treasurer,  Ezra  Hurd ;  W.  Allen ;  I.  G.,  E.  P. 
Atkins.  The  deceased  members  are:  B.  F.  Fox,  R.  R.  Read,  L.  W. 
Buhlman,  R.  C.  Drips,  H.  L.  Scheutte,  J.  A.  Ready,  D.  B.  Dawson, 
Peter  Alanrer,  J.  AI.  Hagensick,  Harrison  G.  Smart,  Christian  Rover, 
George  Sigg,  William  Kreuger,  E.  Ruchdashel,  John  Linton,  James 
McGuire,  Sr.,  \Vm.  Ahlers,  Fred  Cook,  Jacob  D.  Maurer,  L  C. 
Cammock,  Otto  Brumm,  G.  Henry  Schulte,  Henry  Bothmer  and 
Helmuth  Brandt. 

GARNAVILLO  LODGE  NO.  9O  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Garnavillo  Lodge  No.  90  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  was  organized  by  dis- 
pensation on  the  25th  day  of  May,  1855,  and  the  first  officers  were: 
W.  M.,  EHjah  Odell;  S.  W.,  John  M.  Alton;  J.  W.,  Israel 
McWilliams ;  Secretary,  John  H.  Dunkin ;  S.  D.,  B.  F.  Forbes ;  J.  D., 
Andrew  W.  Drips ;  Tyler,  George  S.  Renshaw.  The  above  named 
seven  Masons  were  the  petitioners  for  a  dispensation,  to  open  the  first 
Masonic  lodge  held  at  Garnavillo,  and  the  first  meeting,  as  aforesaid, 
was  held  on  the  25th  day  of  May,  1885,  and  in  June  the  next  year,  the 
by-laws  were  adopted  and  a  charter  was  granted  to  Garnavillo  Lodge 
No.  90  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

The  charter  members  were :  Elijah  Odell,  Benjamin  F.  Forbes, 
George  S.  Renshaw,  Andrew  W.  Drips,  Israel  McWilliams,  John  M. 
Alton,  John  J.  Dunkin,  Benjamin  F.  Fox,  Ezra  Hurd,  S.  R.  Scott, 
Thomas  Updegraf,  Reuben  Noble,  J.  L.  Hagensick,  H.  C.  Oelkers,  and 
John  H.  Nietert.  The  Worshipful  Masters  from  the  time  of  organiza- 
tion to  the  present  time  are :  Elijah  Odell,  Reuben  Noble,  Thomas 
Updegraf,  J.  H.  Nietert,  David  G.  Rogers,  Alvah  C.  Rogers,  George 
W.  Beach,  and  Benjamin  F.  Fox,  Harrison  G.  Smart,  James 
McGuire,  Sr.,  Fred  Cook,  Jacob  D.  Maurer,  C.  W.  Duffin,  William  A. 
Kregel,  Dr.  Arthur  A.  Schmidt,  Henry  P.  Kreuger,  Realto  O. 
Schumacher.  The  time  of  regular  meeting  is  every  Tuesday,  on  or 
before  full  moon,  and  the  present  membership  numbers  thirty-two. 
The  present  officers  are:  W.  M.,  R.  O.  Schumacher;  S.  W.,  H.  H. 
Kuhlman ;  J.  W.,  H.  P.  Krueger;  Treasurer,  J.  F.  Schumacher;  Secre- 
tary, Wm.  A.  Kregel ;  S.  D.,  H.  H.  Baumer ;  J.  D.,  V.  C.  Schumacher, 
and  Tyler,  H.  W.  Fritz.     There  are  thirty-three  deceased  members. 

MODERN   WOODMEN  OF  AMERICA 

Cotton  Camp  No.  3004  was  organized  on  the  third  day  of  May, 
1895,  with  fourteen  charter  members.  The  following  officers  were 
elected :  V.  C,  Dr.  A.  A.  Schmidt ;  W.  A.,  H.  Luehsen,  Jr. ;  Ex  Banker, 
H.  Limbach ;  Clerk,  Glendor  Brandt ;  Esc,  C.  F.  Kregel ;  Watch,  Albert 
Wagner;  Sentry,  Chas.  Rantzow ;  Camp  Physician,  Dr.  A.  A.  Schmidt; 
Managers,  J.  E.  Fritz,  Chas.  Hedeman,  and  Louis  Flevill. 


342  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

REBEKAHS 

Josephine  Rebekah  Lodge  No.  7,  was  organized  at  Garnavillo  on 
the  13th  day  of  February,  1869,  with  the  following  charter  members: 
James  Schroeder,  Jenny  Schroeder,  Henry  Huntemann,  Anna  Hunte- 
mann,  B.  Boder,  Elizabeth  Boder,  Gus  Beutel,  Charlotte  Beutel,  W. 
Brumm,  John  Pohlman,  C.  Pohlman,  C.  Swalter  and  D.  Swalter.  The 
first  officers  were.  James  Schroeder,  Noble  Grand ;  Vice  Grand,  Sophie 
Behm;  Secretary,  Davis  Walter;  Treasurer,  Katherine  Frey,  and  the 
present  members  are :  Noble  Grand,  Helen  Behrens ;  Vice  Grand,  Edna 
Scholz ;  Secretary,  Selma  Class ;  Treasurer,  Clara  Friedlein. 

The  meeting  of  Josephine  Rebekah  Lodge  is  in  the  Odd  Fellow 
Hall,  every  first  and  third  Tuesday  of  the  month.  For  many  years  the 
lodge  work  was  conducted  in  the  German  language.  The  present  mem- 
bership is  thirty-six. 

GARNAVILLO  SOCIAL  TURN  VEREIN 

The  Garnavillo  Social  Turn  Verein  was  organized  on  the  23rd  day 
of  August,  1869,  with  the  following  charter  members :  Peter  Maurer, 
Henry  Schumacher,  Helmuth  Brandt,  Diedrich  Schroeder,  J.  H. 
Kuenzel,  John  D.  Meyer,  Wm.  Ahlers,  Wm.  Kuhlman,  Joseph  Limbach 
and  Fritz  Walter,  U.  U.  Stratemeyer,  William  Logier,  Fritz  Harberg, 
Adam  Brauer,  G.  U.  Stratemeyer,  Fritz  Schoelerman,  Sr.,  U.  L. 
Schutte,  Wm.  Harberg,  John  Marberg,  Henry  Oelke,  Louis  Meyer, 
and  Stephen  Wenschal.  The  first  officers  were:  President,  Dr.  Wm. 
Logier;  Vice  President,  Peter  Maurer;  Secretary,  Helmuth  Brandt; 
Treasurer,  Wm.  Ahlers.  Their  meetings  are  held  the  second  Monday 
of  each  month  in  their  own  hall. 

GIARD 

Named  after  the  owner  of  the  first  Spanish  grant,  Giard  was  at 
one  time  an  important  stopping  place  on  the  overland  route  to 
McGregor.  In  those  earlier  days  when  the  great  military  road  was 
filled  with  an  endless  procession  of  immigrants  moving  westward  and 
heavily  laden  ox  teams  bringing  the  wheat  from  the  interior,  places  of 
rest  and  refreshment  were  necessary  every  few  miles,  for  the  ox, 
though  powerful,  travels  at  a  snail's  pace.  Giard  was  the  first  stopping 
place  on  this  great  highway  and  it  did  a  good  business  for  many  years. 
The  railroad  changed  all  of  this,  and  on  account  of  the  grade,  it  was 
found  impossible  to  go  through  Giard,  and  the  once  busy  town  is  now 
but  a  pleasant  settlement  where  the  homes  of  prosperous  farmers 
nestle  about  the  church  which  has  for  many  years  been  the  center  of 
fche  community's  life. 

The  Giard  German  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  is  one  of  the  old- 
est institutions  in  the  county,  having  been  organized  by  Rev.  John 
Mann  of  Sherrill,  Iowa,  in  1848.  Among  the  charter  and  pioneer 
members  were  Daniel  Bickel  and  wife,  Adam  Berg  and  wife,  Henry 
Hellwig  and  wife,  Conrad  Hellwig,  Henry  Froelich  and  wife,  Conrad 
Hartwick,    Herman    Schneider,    John    Bernhard,    John    Hartwick, 


PRESENT   VIEW   OF    COUNTY  343 

William  Allart  and  Geo.  Wickersheim.  The  first  church  was  built 
during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Frederick  Heinz.  It  was  a  very  modest 
frame  structure  located  on  the  Elkader  road  about  one  mile  southwest 
of  Giard.  This  was  replaced  later  by  another  frame  structure  of 
larger  proportions.  The  present  handsome  brick  church  was  built  in 
1902  and  the  congregation  also  owns  a  handsome  and  commodious 
parsonage.  The  present  pastor  is  Rev,  A.  W.  Gauger.  Both  English 
and  German  are  used  in  the  services  and  the  church  is  in  a  thriving  con- 
dition in  every  way. 

GUTTENBERG 

In  1900,  Guttenberg  voted  an  electric  light  franchise  but  this 
was  allowed  to  default  and  it  was  proposed  that  the  city  would  use 
gas.  Guttenberg  was  organized  under  a  special  charter  just  as  were 
many  of  the  cities  of  the  early  day.  Later  legislation,  however,  gave 
cities  regularly  organized  greater  advantages  than  were  held  by  the 
cities  of  the  special  charter  and  in  1902,  Guttenberg  abandoned  its  old 
charter  and  became  as  other  Iowa  cities.  As  a  result  of  municipal 
controversies  a  second  newspaper  was  established  at  Guttenberg  in 
1903,  with  S.  L.  Gage  as  editor.  This  was,  however,  but  a  short  lived 
affair.  It  was  sought  to  improve  the  channel  of  the  Mississippi  at 
Guttenberg  but  Glen  Haven  on  the  Wisconsin  side  objected  to  the  clos- 
ing of  the  channel  and  Senator  Allison,  for  Iowa,  and  Senator  Spooner 
for  Wisconsin  argued  the  case  at  length  on  the  floor  of  the  U.  S. 
Senate.  A  frightful  accident  occurred  in  November,  1905,  when  J, 
Baumgaertner  and  Ben  Walter  were  killed  by  the  bursting  of  a  boiler 
at  the  flour  mill,  the  mill  being  totally  wrecked.  Guttenberg  was  won- 
derfully immune  from  the  major  accidents  or  fires,  the  only  fires  of 
importance  being  the  one  which  occurred  in  September,  1900,  when 
the  hotel,  which  was  crowded  with  guests,  was  burned.  Fortunately 
no  lives  were  lost,  although  there  were  many  narrow  escapes;  and  the 
fires  in  September,  1913,  when  the  planing  mill  of  the  Meuser  Lumber 
Company  was  destroyed  with  no  insurance.  Guttenberg  benefited  by 
the  pearl  button  industry  almost  as  much  as  did  McGregor  and  a  suc- 
cessful factory  was  established.  The  excelsior  factory  started  by  citi- 
zens was  also  a  success.  Guttenberg  has  always  been  a  conservative 
community  but  with  all  its  quietness  it  has  steadily  maintained  itself 
and  is  today  the  largest  town  in  Clayton  county  and  one  of  the 
wealthiest. 

Guttenberg  is  a  remarkable  town.  It  retains  the  traditions  of 
the  old  and  grasps  the  advantages  of  the  new.  In  many  ways  it 
reminds  one  of  a  village  of  the  Fatherland,  but  in  the  midst  of  the 
quaint  old  buildings  one  is  startled  by  all  the  evidences  of  modernity. 
The  river  front  is  beautiful.  There  is  no  finer  in  all  Iowa.  The  view 
from  the  bluffs  as  the  road  rises  steeply  is  one  of  superb  beauty.  The 
town  itself  is  a  perfect  picture  of  quiet  content  and  widespread  pros- 
perity mingled  with  the  spirit  of  nervous  American  activity. 

The  present  officers  of  the  city  are  mayor,  Robert  Scholz;  clerk, 
Henry  Beermann ;  councilman,  M.  Gilbertz,  L.  H.  Beermann,  Chris 
Frommelt,  A.  O.  Hamann,  Carl  Ohm.  The  city  has  an  excellent  sys- 
tem of  water  works  with  high  pressure.     A  contract  has  been  entered 


344  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

into  with  Schmidt  Bros,  of  Elkader  for  electric  power.  For  this  the 
city  pays  at  the  rate  of  two  and  one-half  cents  per  kilowatt,  charging 
twelve  cents  to  consumers,  leaving  a  handsome  margin  of  profit  which 
will  go  to  the  city.  Two  button  factories  employ  between  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  two  hundred  people.  A  canning  factory  employs  many 
during  the  corn  packing  season.  The  excelsior  factory  normally 
employs  from  fifteen  to  twenty  people.  The  Ed.  P.  Eberhart  Lumber 
Company  operates  a  sawmill  for  hardwood  and  Mueser  Lumber  Com- 
pany has  a  planing  mill  of  good  capacity.  The  city  has  a  building  of 
its  own  for  its  administrative  offices  and  there  is  an  efficient  volunteer 
fire  company  with  M.  Gilbertz  as  chief.  There  are  two  large  brick 
school  buildings,  a  high  school  whose  graduates  are  admitted  to  the 
University  of  Iowa  without  examination.  Special  courses  are  given 
in  Domestic  Science,  Agriculture  and  Manual  Training.  There  is  a 
library  of  one  thousand  volumes.  The  school  property  is  valued  at 
$30,000.  Chas.  Adam  is  president  of  the  school  board  and  E.  L. 
Charlesworth.  secretary.  The  schools  open  in  September  in  charge  of 
Superintendent  Hoffman,  who  succeeds  G.  W.  Hunt.  The  high  stand- 
ard of  the  school  is  in  large  measure  due  to  D.  D.  Murphy  who  was 
at  their  head  for  many  years. 

The  Guttenberg  Press  is  an  independent  and  readable  newspaper. 
It  was  established  by  Sumner  Miller,  January  6,  1897,  who  sold  it 
January  i,  1908,  to  Z.  G.  Houck.  On  May  15,  191 1,  the  paper  was 
purchased  by  Louis  C.  and  Harry  J.  Muschewske,  its  present  publish- 
ers.    The  paper  is  eminently  successful  and  has  a  well  equipped  office. 

Among  the  churches  there  are  the  Methodist  Episcopal  of  which 
Rev.  W.  T.  Smith  is  pastor ;  the  Catholic  church,  dealt  with  in  another 
chapter ;  and  St.  John's  Lutheran  Church.  This  church  was  organized 
January  i,  1854.  The  first  officers  were  A.  Weimer,  H.  Fahling,  C. 
Niemann,  J.  Wehrkamp,  H.  Hunteman,  J.  Dittmer  and  Theo  Aulwes. 
The  church  was  built  in  1854  and  Rev.  IMueller  of  Garnavillo  was  the 
first  pastor.  Succeeding  pastors  were  Reverends  P.  Seisting,  P.  C. 
Adams,  Theo.  Hushmann,  P.  Gessler.  Wm.  Beckman,  P.  Kleinlein, 
F.  C.  Bazil.  On  June  30,  1899,  Rev.  J.  Janzig  took  charge  and  he  has 
continued  since  that  time  doing  good  work  among  his  people.  The 
church  building  is  modern,  has  pipe  organ  and  excellent  choir.  The 
value  of  the  church  property,  including  parsonage,  is  about  $10,000.00. 
There  is  a  confirmation  school  of  seventy-live  members,  a  Ladies'  Aid 
Society  of  ninety-five  members.  Young  People's  Society  and  Sunday 
School. 

The  Community  Club  was  organized  November  8,  19 15,  and 
although  young,  it  has  already  been  a  benefit  to  the  city  by  creating  a 
better  feeling  of  cooperation  and  by  the  establishment  of  a  rest  room 
for  visitors  to  the  city.  Dr.  F.  R.  Cutler  is  president  and  G.  W.  Hunt, 
secretary  of  this  club.  Another  excellent  feature  of  the  civic  life  of 
Guttenberg  is 

THE  INGLESIDE  CLUB 

The  Ingleside  Club  was  organized  by  a  number  of  ladies  of  Gutten- 
berg in  the  year  1902  as  a  social  club.  In  1908  it  joined  the  Federa- 
tion of  Women's  Clubs  and  then  took  up  literary  work.     In  1910  it 


TRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  345 

dropped  the  literary  work  and  devoted  its  entire  efforts  to  the  laying 
out,  planting  and  caring  for  the  New  River  Front  Park  at  Guttenberg, 

The  charter  members  were  Olive  Pye,  Jessie  Beyer,  Gertrude 
Pohle,  Lottie  Ihm,  Yetta  Purnhage,  Augusta  Friedlein,  Lulu  Schroeder 
and  Emma  McErlain.    The  first  president  was  Jessie  Beyer, 

Since  then  the  club  has  increased  its  membership  until  there  are 
now  fifteen  members.  The  present  officers  are:  President,  Margaret 
Miller;  vice  president,  Amanda  Beerman;  secretary,  Minnie 
Muschewske ;  treasurer,  Ellen  Scholz. 

The  club  is  now  devoting  its  entire  time  to  the  development  of 
the  new  river  front  park,  which  has  really  not  been  formally  named. 
It  extends  a  length  of  about  three  and  one-half  blocks  along  the  high 
banks  of  the  Mississippi  river.  It  is  beautifully  laid  out  with  gravel 
walks,  flower  beds  and  various  kinds  of  shade  trees.  It  will  in  time, 
be  one  of  the  most  beautiful  parks  along  the  upper  Mississippi  river. 
The  club  developed  this  park  out  of  a  wild  tract  which  annually  grew  up 
to  weeds. 

Among  the  lodges  are  the  following: 

ODD    FELLOWS 

Guttenberg  Lodge  No.  126,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  was  founded  in  1859  with 
seven  charter  members.  The  first  meeting  was  held  at  the  home  of 
John  Friedlein.  The  first  officers  were  Henry  Lake,  N.  G. ;  Henry 
Huntemann,  V.  G. ;  Leonard  Heine,  secretary ;  M.  Goetz,  treasurer. 
The  other  charter  members  were  D.  E.  Meyers,  William  Woodworth 
and  Henry  Bultmann.  In  1904,  a  handsome  new  building  was  erected, 
and  in  1909  the  lodge  celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniversary  with  appro- 
priate ceremony.     August  Friedlein  is  the  present  Noble  Grand. 

PRAIRIE  LA  PORTE  LODGE  NO.   I47,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Prairie  la  Porte  Lodge  No.  147,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  of  Guttenberg, 
Iowa,  held  their  first  regular  meeting  on  the  thirteenth  day  of  August, 
1859.  The  charter  members  were :  C.  P.  Goodrich,  G.  H.  Bonomann, 
Charles  Falkenheiner,  R.  M.  Wilson,  John  Sixbey,  John  McBride, 
Frederick  Eisfelder,  Jonathan  Kauffman,  Willard  Knight  and  Elipha- 
let  Price.  The  first  officers  were :  W.  M.,  C.  P.  Goodrich ;  S.  W., 
John  McBride  ;  J.  W.,  Jonathan  Kauffman  ;  treasurer,  Willard  Knight ; 
secretary,  G.  H.  Bowman;  S.  D.,  John  Sixbey;  J.  D.,  Fred  Eisfelder. 

The  present  executive  officers  are :  W.  M.,  Charles  Scholz ;  S. 
W.,  Dr.  F.  R.  Cutler.  The  present  membership  is  seventy-two. 
Regular  meetings  are  held  every  Thursday,  on  or  before  full  moon,  at 
the  Masonic  hall.  A  building  fund  has  been  established  and  it  is  hoped 
at  some  future  time  to  be  able  to  have  a  new  hall. 

MODERN    WOODMEN    OF   AMERICA 

New  Leaf  Camp  No.  537,  was  chartered  March  28,  1888,  and  its 
first  officers  were :  Consul,  George  H.  Smart ;  adviser,  H.  J.  Schirmer ; 
clerk,  Wilham  Hoffbauer,  Jr. ;  banker,  William  A.  Seibel ;  delegate,  P. 


346  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY 

H.  F.  Hinsch;  physician,  Dr.  H.  J.  Schirmer.  The  charter  members 
were :  H.  Eppens,  P.  H.  F.  Hinsch,  Wilham  Hoffbauer,  Jr.,  J.  Kords, 
C.  C.  Niemeyer,  Ed  H.  Prior,  J.  M,  Prior,  W.  A.  Seibel,  E.  Schrempf, 
George  H.  Smart  and  H.  J.  Schirmer  and  at  present  the  total  number 
of  members  is  85.  The  present  officers  are:  Consul,  O.  E.  Gray, 
clerk,  Charles  E.  Scholz.  Meetings  are  held  every  second  and  fourth 
Monday. 

The  deceased  members  are :  John  Kords,  Henry  Eppens,  Bernard 
Leuch,  John  Rau,  William  Retwisch,  J.  S.  Cassutt,  George  H.  Smart, 
John  Dent,  Heinrich  Flentje,  William  H.  Fahling,  Philip  Kirch,  Henry 
Schutte,  Ernest  Geuder,  John  Koch,  Willie  Friedlein,  Horace  G.  Jen- 
kins, August  Kahle,  Edward  J.  Madden  and  Herman  Schroeder.  The 
total  amount  that  this  camp  has  contributed  to  the  benefit  fund  up 
to  the  present  time  is  $20,977.65,  and  the  total  amount  of  death  claims 
paid  to  beneficiaries,  $31,000.00. 

EASTERN   STAR 

Pearl  Chapter  No.  143  was  organized  on  the  twenty-second  day 
of  September,  1893.  The  first  officers  were:  Worthy  matron,  Ida  G. 
Miller ;  worthy  patron,  G.  H.  Smart ;  associate  matron,  Sophia  Eckhart ; 
secretary,  William  Nolte ;  treasurer,  Mrs.  S.  J.  Kaufifman ;  conductress, 
Mrs.  Lizzie  Duffin;  associate  conductress,  Ella  Block;  chaplain,  Alice 
Harvey;  Adah,  Hattie  Smart;  Ruth,  Nettie  Thomason;  Esther,  Mrs. 
Emily  Kennedy;  Martha,  Edna  Kauffman;  Electa,  Emma  Horsch; 
warder,  Anna  Frey;  sentinel,  John  Luther.  There  were  twenty-four 
charter  members. 

Meetings  are  held  every  Thursday  evening,  after  full  moon,  at 
Masonic  hall.  There  are  eighty-eight  members.  The  deceased  mem- 
bers are:  Ella  Block,  Matilda  B.  Goetz,  G.  H.  Smart,  Mrs.  Emma 
Horsch,  S.  W.  Bowman,  Dorothy  E.  Penfold,  Jessie  Beyer.  The 
present  executive  officers  are :  Worthy  matron,  Mrs.  Rexy  Chase ;  sec- 
retary, Addie  Jacobs. 

BROTHERHOOD  OF  AMERICAN   YEOMEN 

Valley  Homestead  No.  61  was  organized  on  the  twenty-third  day 
of  December,  1897,  and  the  charter  was  issued  on  the  third  day  of 
February,  1898,  with  twenty-one  charter  members. 

The  first  officers  were:  Foreman,  Frank  J.  Limbach;  master  of 
ceremonies,  Charles  W.  Jenkins;  correspondent,  Robert  J.  Bonce; 
master  of  accounts,  Sarah  Jenkins ;  physician,  John  Ruthop ;  overseer. 
Bertha  Bruce;  watchman,  Alice  Jenkins;  sentinel,  Peter  P.  Tonnar. 
The  present  officers  are:  Foreman,  Richard  E.  Bull;  correspondent, 
C.  Mitrucker. 

There  are  at  present  one  hundred  benefit  members  and  one  social 
member,  and  meetings  are  held  the  second  and  fourth  Tuesday  of 
each  month  in  the  L  O.  O.  F.  hall.  The  deceased  members  are :  Henry 
Reyer,  John  Fricke,  Hans  Studt,  Samuel  Hine,  William  H.  Heine, 
Bertha  Dei  f el,  Emma  Horsch,  Flattie  E.  Kords,  Dr.  W.  L.  Duffin,  Har- 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  347 

riet  Friedlein-McKinley  and  H.  G.  Jenkins,  Charlotte  M.  Scholz  and 
Henry  Daacke. 

ROYAL  NEIGHBORS 

Golden  Rule  Camp  No.  973  R.  N.  F.  A.,  was  organized  on  the 
thirtieth  day  of  April,  1898.  There  were  twenty-two  charter  members, 
all  but  six  of  whom  were  benefit  members.  The  camp  now  has  a 
membership  of  fifty-five  members  of  which  forty-five  are  beneficiary 
and  ten  are  social  members.  The  meetings  are  held  every  second  and 
fourth  Wednesday  of  the  month. 

The  first  officers  were :  Oracle,  Hattie  Smart ;  vice  oracle,  Effie 
Lewis ;  past  oracle,  Etta  Beutel ;  chancellor,  Harriet  Friedlein ;  marshal, 
Frances  Lorenz ;  assistant  marshal,  Lizzie  Saeugling ;  recorder,  Emma 
Rau ;  receiver,  Louise  Tuerste ;  inner  sentinel,  Hattie  Kords ;  outer 
sentinel,  Emma  Kohle ;  physician,  Charles  Duffn.  The  present  ofificers 
are :  Oracle,  Etta  Beutel ;  recorder,  Lena  Tuerste.  The  outer  sentinel, 
Emma  Kohle,  has  held  her  office  from  1898  up  to  the  present  time 
except  two  years.  The  deceased  members  are:  John  Dent,  Hattie 
Schrunk,  Margaret  Solton,  H.  B.  Scheutte,  Ida  Werb,  Hattie  Kords, 
Lottie  Scholz,  Harriet  Friedlein,  Eliza  Kuempel,  Horace  Jenkins  and 
Julia  Needham, 

MYSTIC  WORKERS 

The  Mystic  Workers  Lodge  No.  774  was  organized  on  the 
fourteenth  day  of  November,  1906,  with  the  following  charter  mem- 
bers:  William  Nolte,  JuHa  Nolte,  A.  F.  Beyer,  Karl  Ihm,  John  P. 
Eckart,  August  H.  Borman,  Wilhelm  Schnell,  Emma  Cassutt,  Lizzie 
Cassutt,  O.  H.  Lake,  W.  E.  Friedlein,  Thomas  J.  Cassutt,  Calvin  P. 
Luther,  William  Lindroth  and  John  P.  Stoefifler.  The  membership  of 
this  lodge  has  increased  to  forty- four  members,  and  the  present  officers 
are  as  follows:  C.  W.  Petters,  perfect;  O.  H.  Lake,  monitor;  A.  H. 
Borman,  secretary;  John  P.  Eckart,  banker;  A.  E.  Beyer,  physician; 
R.  H.  Schola,  marshal ;  William  Lindroth,  sentinel ;  O.  B.  Eckart, 
supervisor.  The  meetings  are  held  on  the  second  and  fourth  Friday 
of  every  month. 

LITTLEPORT 

Littleport  was  incorporated  November,  1907,  along  the  line  of  the 
Volga  Valley  Railroad  between  Volga  City  and  Elkport.  The  first 
officers  were:  Mayor,  C.  C.  Pust;  clerk,  S.  M.  Stalnaker;  council- 
men,  E.  Enderes,  William  Reichert,  E.  L.  Gilford,  A.  Kefifer  and  Henry 
Pust.  The  town  has  long  been  established,  however,  and  was  a  con- 
siderable hamlet  for  more  than  fifty  years  prior  to  its  incorporation. 
It  is  now  a  village  of  more  than  two  hundred  population.  There  are 
three  general  stores,  bank,  blacksmith  shop  and  a  creamery  owned  by 
the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Company  and  built  in  1915.  This  creamery, 
according  to  the  state  dairy  commissioner,  ranks  as  one  of  the  best  in 
Iowa.  The  present  mayor  is  J.  C.  Miller  and  S.  M.  Stalnaker  is  still 
the  clerk.  The  independent  school  district  was  organized  in  1906 
and  S.  M.  Stalnaker  was  the  first  principal,  holding  this  position  for 
five  years.    The  present  principal  is  R.  Luers  while  Miss  Louisa  Luers 


348  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

teaches  the  primary  department.  G.  H.  Meyer  is  the  postmaster.  There 
are  two  churches,  CathoHc  and  Lutheran,  both  of  which  are  served 
from  Elkport.  The  Frauen  Verein  is  a  society  of  ladies  of  which 
Mrs.  E.  L.  Gifford  is  president,  and  Mrs.  A.  B.  Zapp  is  at  the  head  of 
the  M.  B.  A.  order.    Other  fraternities  are  as  follows: 

MODERN    WOODMEN    OF    AMERICA 

Littleport  Camp  No.  1723  was  organized  July  30,  1892,  with  eleven 
charter  members.  First  officers  were :  F.  J.  Wagner,  V.  C. ;  Mathew 
Feeney,  advisor ;  Henry  Pust,  banker ;  F.  T.  Pilkington,  clerk ;  Emil 
Pust,  escort ;  Ernest  Enderes,  watchman ;  Charles  Peick,  sentry ;  H.  L. 
Gifford,  F.  J.  Wagner  and  A.  J.  Mading,  managers.  C.  C.  Pust  is  now 
at  the  head  of  the  order  and  J.  J.  Brich  is  clerk.  The  membership 
is  seventy  and  deceased  members  are :  George  Scheer,  George  Meyer, 
J.  J.  Liedy,  William  Reiner,  Joe  Whipple  and  J.  E.  Davis. 

ROYAL    NEIGHBORS    OF    AMERICA 

Fern  Leaf  Camp  No.  1665  was  organized  March  16,  1889.  The 
first  officers  were :  Oracle,  Louisa  Pust ;  vice  oracle,  Laura  Reichert ; 
chancellor,  Julia  Nading ;  recorder,  Caroline  Pilkington ;  receiver, 
Minnie  Brich;  marshal,  Jennie  Whipple;  L  sentinel,  Minnie  Nading; 
O.  sentinel,  Sophia  Pust ;  managers,  Joseph  J.  Brich,  Lillian  J.  Meder 
and  Bertha  Krieg. 

The  camp  is  headed  at  present  by  Martha  Towle,  oracle,  and 
Minnie  Brich,  recorder.  The  membership  is  fifty-three  and  there  has 
been  but  one  death  in  the  lodge,  that  of  Bertha  Krieg. 

LUTHERAN    CHURCH 

The  Lutherans  of  Littleport  have  had  a  church  organization  since 
i860,  the  first  pastor  having  been  Rev.  Vollmer.  At  present  the 
charge  is  served  by  Rev.  Paulsen  of  Elkport,  who  holds  services  in 
Littleport  every  two  weeks.     The  church  has  twenty-five  members. 

LUANA 

Luana  is  a  thriving  little  village  of  175  population,  located 
on  the  C.  M.  &  St.  Paul  railway  some  five  miles  west  of  Monona, 
and  is  the  most  western  town  of  the  county.  It  early  attained  prom- 
inence through  the  large  creamery  interests  located  there,  a  business 
which  is  still  in  a  prosperous  condition.  The  city  officers  are  as 
follows :  Mayor,  George  R.  Englehardt ;  clerk,  W.  J.  Splies  ;  treasurer, 
W.  J.  Mitchell ;  councilmen,  W.  Doerring,  H.  Rekow,  C.  Russell,  F. 
Hafifa  and  B.  Overbeck. 

To  Luana  must  be  given  the  credit  for  its  splendid  pioneering 
in  the  line  of  a  consolidated  school  district,  made  possible  under  the 
new  law.  As  a  result  a  fine  new  school  building  was  opened  in  June, 
1916.  It  is  a  three-story  brick  building,  containing  sixteen  rooms,  with 
modern  gymnasium,  shower  baths,  lunch  rooms  and  assembly  room; 


THE  NEW   VORK 

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HIGH    SCHOOL.    MONONA 


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ST.   PATRICK'S  PAEOCHIAL  SCHOOL,  MONONA 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  349 

while  the  campus  of  ten  acres  contains  tennis  courts,  base  ball  grounds, 
swings  and  a  cinder  path  for  the  athletes.  The  building  cost  $35,000 
and  may  be  considered  as  a  great  experiment  in  advance  educational 
work  to  include  rural  districts.  Prof.  H.  B.  Smith  is  in  charge,  and 
it  is  expected  that  the  attendance  will  be  at  least  160.  Instruction 
will  include  eight  grades  and  a  four-year  high  school  course  and  there 
will  be  courses  in  manual  training,  domestic  science  and  agriculture. 
The  membership  of  the  school  board,  which  has  made  itself  conspicuous 
by  its  advanced  ideas,  is  as  follows :  President,  Henry  Palas ;  sec- 
retary, George  Englehardt;  treasurer,  W.  J.  SpHes;  and  members, 
Louis  Englehardt,  Henry  Berger,  Louis  Schultz  and  H.  Gruel.  The 
school  district  embraces  twenty-six  square  miles. 

MONONA 

Monona  is  one  of  the  thriving  towns  of  Clayton  county,  situated 
in  the  northeast  corner,  in  the  center  of  the  finest  farming  community 
in  the  state.  It  is  fourteen  miles  from  the  Mississippi  river,  just  at 
the  top  of  the  Mississippi  river  bluffs  and  is  sometimes  called  the  "City 
on  the  Hill."  It  has  a  population  of  a  thousand  inhabitants,  a  large 
per  cent  being  retired  farmers  who  have  sold  valuable  farms  nearby 
and  have  moved  to  town,  erecting  handsome  modern  homes  in  which 
to  spend  the  remainder  of  their  days  in  ease  and  comfort.  It  is  prob- 
ably true  Monona  possesses  more  beautiful  private  homes  than  any 
town  of  its  size  in  the  state.  It  has  fine  schools  and  churches,  a  beau- 
tiful public  park,  two  hotels,  two  banks  with  a  combined  deposit  of 
$500,000.00.  All  lines  of  retail  business  are  well  represented  and  there 
is  an  iron  foundry,  two  grist  mills,  opera  house,  a  farmers'  commission 
company,  a  union  farmers'  creamery  company,  a  community  club  of 
thirty-three  members,  electric  lights,  with  day  and  night  current,  gas 
plant,  municipal  water  works,  two  telephone  lines  and  a  group  of  live 
business  men  and  citizens  that  are  putting  forth  their  best  efforts  to 
make  it  a  town  one  can  feel  proud  to  live  in,  and  they  are  ready  with 
a  warm  welcome  to  any  who  chance  to  come  their  way. 

The  Monona  Leader  was  first  established  by  that  veteran  news- 
paperman, George  H.  Otis,  who  is  now  the  pioneer  of  the  Clayton 
county  press,  having  founded  the  Elkader  Register  in  1878.  H.  S. 
Rittenhouse,  the  present  editor,  has  a  well  equipped  office  and  pub- 
lishes one  of  the  strong  local  papers  of  the  state. 

The  city  officers  are  George  H.  Otis,  mayor;  H.  S.  Rittenhouse, 
clerk ;  Charles  Hupper,  Herman  Peglow,  W.  F.  Humphrey,  W.  B. 
Wiethorn  and  A.  W.  Lenth,  councilmen.  There  is  a  volunteer  fire 
company  of  which  O.  F.  Bushing  is  chief.  The  water  works  has 
good  pressure  from  a  tower  120  feet  high,  and  was  installed  at  a  cost 
of  $18,000.  Monona  is  particularly  proud  of  its  schools.  There  is  a 
fine  building  worth  $15,000,  which  contains  ten  rooms.  Domestic 
science,  agriculture  and  manual  training  are  among  the  branches 
taught,  and  nine  teachers  are  employed. 

CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

Congregationalism  in  Monona  dates  back  to  the  pioneer  days  of 
the  town.     Before  the  organization  of  church  or  society  Rev.  A.  M. 


350  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Eastman  served  as  pastor  between  the  years  1849  ^^^  1852.  The 
Congregational  church  was  organized  in  February,  1855,  D.  B.  David- 
son, pastor.  In  the  early  history  of  the  church,  services  were  held 
in  school  houses.  In  1865,  during  the  pastorate  of  J,  R.  Upton,  lots 
were  secured  and  steps  taken  toward  the  erection  of  a  church  building, 
the  dedication  took  place  December  19,  1866.  The  building  committee 
was  P.  P.  Olmstead,  E.  Boley  and  Charles  L,  McGonigle.  Trustees 
at  that  time  were  S.  H.  Oathout,  S.  H.  Thompson  and  J.  B.  Goddard. 
The  church  was  remodeled  and  dedicated  again  January  3,  1904,  J. 
E.  Grinnell,  pastor.  The  following  have  served  as  pastors  of  the 
Monona  Congregational  church :  A.  M.  Eastman,  before  organiza- 
tion, D.  B.  Davidson,  J.  R.  Upton,  J.  M.  Smith,  Palmer  Litts,  W.  S. 
Potwin,  Franklin  Elliott,  A.  A.  Young,  W.  H.  Klose,  S.  T.  Beatty, 
J.  E.  Grinnell,  Burton  H.  Cheney,  W.  E.  King,  G.  W.  Meek  and  C. 
H.  Linn  the  present  pastor.  The  Sunday  School,  Christian  Endeavor 
and  Ladies'  Aid  Society  are  organizations  connected  with  the  church. 

THE   GERMAN    EVANGELICAL   LUTHERAN    ST.    PAUl's    CHURCH 

The  German  Evangelical  Lutheran  St.  Paul's  Congregation  was 
organized  on  July  13,  1884.  Two  weeks  later,  on  July  27,  1884,  the 
first  selected  minister  in  full  charge,  Rev.  Fred  Zimmermann,  delivered 
his  first  sermon.  In  1885  the  congregation  has  built  a  church  36x60. 
This  church  building  was  dedicated  on  the  second  Sunday  in  Advent, 
1885.  In  1886  Rev.  Zimmermann  accepted  a  call  to  a  larger  congrega- 
tion at  Waverly,  Iowa,  Rev.  J.  Graening  being  his  successor.  When 
the  latter  arrived  at  Monona  on  October  29th  he  found  twenty  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation,  nine  proprietors  and  eleven  renters.  Rev. 
J.  Graening  was  for  nearly  nineteen  years  the  highly  esteemed  minister 
of  this  congregation.  In  1887  the  German  school  house  was  built.  In 
1 89 1  the  congregation  bought  of  the  late  Mr.  Christ  Taake  the  present 
parsonage  and  adjoining  land  embracing  one  whole  large  city  block. 
In  1889  the  parsonage  was  enlarged  at  a  cost  of  $650.  On  July  9th, 
1905,  Rev.  Graening  resigned,  accepting  a  call  to  a  congregation  at 
Maxfield,  Iowa.  On  September  27th,  1905,  the  present  Rev.  Otto 
Wappler  took  charge  of  the  congregation.  In  1908,  the  church  was 
rebuilt  and  enlarged  to  38x80  feet  at  the  cost  of  $3,200.  It  was  re- 
dedicated  on  November  i,  1908.  On  July  11,  1909,  the  congregation 
could  celebrate  her  twenty-fifth  anniversary.  The  present  standing  of 
the  congregation  is  eighty-seven  members  (the  Lutherans  counting 
only  the  heads  of  the  families  members).  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has 
forty-five  members.  There  are  enrolled  in  the  Sunday  School  fifty- 
two  children  with  five  teachers. 

FIRST  METHODIST  CHURCH 

The  first  Methodist  services  were  held  in  Monona  in  185 1,  in  the 
little  frame  school  house.  It  was  first  a  part  of  the  Yellow  River 
Mission  and  then  of  the  Lansing  Mission  which  included  thirty-three 
charges  and  covered  a  circuit  of  many  miles.  Silas  Warner  was  one 
of  the  first  Methodist  preachers.    In  1854  there  were  seven  Methodists 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  35 1 

in  Monona,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  William  Haworth,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Killen, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Snell  and  Mrs.  Boilers.  In  1855  they  were  joined  by 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Stout.  The  first  pastor  was  Rev.  William  Newton 
and  he  was  followed  by  Rev.  Burchard  and  Rev.  Stout.  The  first 
church  was  built  in  1867  and  dedicated  by  Rev.  WiUiam  Cobb,  in  1868. 
For  many  years  this  was  known  as  Monona  Circuit  and  the  clergy  had 
many  other  charges  to  visit.  The  list  of  pioneer  preachers  is  a  long 
one  but  contains  the  names  of  many  of  the  saints  of  the  church.  A 
parsonage  was  erected  in  later  years  but  the  old  church  building  was 
used  until  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  James  B.  Bird.  A  handsome  brick 
structure,  modern  in  every  way  was  then  erected  and  the  parsonage 
remodelled,  at  a  cost  of  $19,000,  making  the  value  of  church  property 
in  the  neighborhood  of  $25,000,  all  free  from  debt.  The  building  con- 
tains a  fine  auditorium,  Sunday  school  rooms  and  club  rooms  with 
kitchen  and  dining  room.  The  building  was  dedicated  May  10,  1914, 
Rev.  E.  R.  Zaring,  D.  D.,  of  Chicago,  delivering  the  dedicatory  address. 
A  history  of  the  Catholic  church  will  be  found  in  the  chapter 
devoted  to,  the  Catholic  churches  of  the  county. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

Monona  Post  No.  495,  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic  was  commis- 
sioned by  the  Department  of  Iowa,  April  8th,  1892.  The  charter  mem- 
bers were :  Harvey  S.  Curtis,  Robert  Boyce,  William  Surring,  Daniel  J. 
Dull,  Simeon  B.  Dull,  Robert  W.  Randall,  Hiram  Booth,  Theodore 
Sherman,  Edward  F.  Sliter,  John  L.  Howorth,  William  H.  Tucker, 
John  Turner,  Warren  Cassidy,  John  J.  Littler,  John  Montgomery, 
Samuel  Thibids,  William  H.  Nelings,  William  Schmitt  and  William 
Wellman.  The  first  officers  chosen  were :  Post  commander,  Theodore 
Sherman;  senior  vice  commander,  William  H.  Nelings;  junior  vice 
commander,  William  Wellman ;  quartermaster,  William  H.  Tucker  ;• 
surgeon,  Hiram  Booth;  Chaplain,  John  J.  Littler;  adjutant,  Harvey 
S.  Curtis;  sergeant  major,  William  Schmitt;  quartermaster  sergeant, 
Simeon  B.  Dull,  officer  of  the  day,  Edward  F.  Sliter;  officer  of  the 
guard,  John  L.  Howorth.  The  first  regular  meeting  was  held  April 
i6th,  1892,  and  the  first  Memorial  services  were  held  the  following 
month,  in  the  M.  E.  church  on  Sunday,  under  auspices  of  J.  J.  Littler, 
chaplain.     Rev.  W.  N.  Brown  delivered  the  Memorial  Day  address. 

The  following  have  served  as  commanders  of  the  post:  1892-3, 
Theodore  Sherman;  1894,  George  H.  Otis;  1895,  E.  F.  Sliter;  1896, 
William  H.  Nelings;  1897,  Melvin  Davis;  1898,  George  H.  Otis;  1899, 
Theodore  Sherman;  1900-1,  Harvey  S.  Curtis,  1902-3,  William 
Schmitt;  1904,  J.  J.  Littler;  1905-6,  George  H.  Otis;  1907-8,  Theodore 
Sherman;  1909,  Wilham  Schmitt;  1910-11,  George  H.  Otis;  1912-13, 
Warren  Cassidy;  1914-15-16,  George  H.  Otis.  At  this  date  there  are 
only  fourteen  members  left  of  the  thirty-eight  enrolled. 

In  19 1 5  a  Barre- Vermont  granite  monument  was  erected  in  the 
Monona  cemetery  at  a  cost  of  $2,000.  The  contemplated  improvement 
of  the  ground,  surrounding  the  monument,  will  complete  a  tribute  to 
the  hero  dead,  highly  creditable  to  the  committee  in  charge  and  the 
people  of  Monona,  who  have  contributed  largely  for  the  erection  of  the 


352  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

monument  and  the  improvement  of  the  plat  of  gromid  reserved.  The 
committee  were  George  H.  Otis,  Theodore  Sherman  and  WiUiam  H. 
Nehngs. 

CLAYTON  LODGE  NO.  70,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Clayton  Lodge  No.  70,  A.  F.  &  A,  M.,  of  Monona  was  instituted 
March  30th,  1855,  by  a  dispensation  granted  by  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the 
State  of  Iowa.  The  charter  is  dated  June  6th,  1856,  and  the  first 
officers  under  the  dispensation  were :  W.  M.,  John  Northrup ;  S.  W., 
William  S.  Scott;  J.  W.,  Moses  Treters;  treasurer,  C.  N.  Atwood; 
secretary,  Charles  Bates;  tyler,  William  Crawford;  chaplain,  N.  N. 
Soule.  The  first  officers  under  the  charter  were:  W.  M.,  John 
Northrup ;  S.  W.,  William  S.  Scott ;  J.  W.,  Charles  A.  Dean ;  treasurer, 
P.  B,  Mason ;  secretary,  T.  R.  Comstock ;  S.  D.,  B.  H.  Olmstead ;  J.  D., 
E.  H.  Fowler ;  tyler,  S.  M.  Wilford ;  chaplain.  Rev.  James  Scott. 

In  1882  the  roll  of  membership  numbered  166.  The  deceased 
members  are:  LeGrand  Olmsted,  Horace  Emery,  Oliver  R.  Hastings, 
C.  R.  Atwood,  Bradley  Olmsted,  Thomas  Glass,  P.  B.  Mason,  A.  H. 
Doe,  Homer  E.  Smith,  Finley  Egbert,  J.  R.  Bywater,  Gordon  H.  Gile, 
Ira  P.  Winters,  E.  C.  Koontz,  A.  M.  Cortis,  J.  S.  Watkins,  J.  D.  Smith, 
Albert  E.  Elmore,  E.  L.  Ernest,  J.  W.  Thomas,  J.  A.  Wingate,  J.  R. 
Milliman,  C.  A.  Dean,  Thomas  Cummings,  Thad  S.  Egberth,  John 
Tapper,  J.  K.  Gile,  John  Dizon,  J.  R.  Gustisen,  L.  L,  Renshaw,  Frank 
L.  Sherman,  William  Wellman,  Nathaniel  Nichols,  Silas  Scott,  Silas 
Egbert,  H.  B.  McNeil,  William  S.  Scott.  The  officers  of  the  year 
1916  are:  W.  M.,  Henry  Hupfer;  secretary,  George  H.  Otis.  The 
lodge  at  present  is  in  a  prosperous  condition  and  is  gradually  growing 
in  numbers. 

EASTERN    STAR 

This  organization,  which  is  an  auxiliary  to  the  Masonic  fraternity, 
was  granted  a  charter  from  the  parent  state  order,  October  26,  1899. 
There  were  twenty-three  charter  members,  with  the  following  list  of 
officers  duly  installed :  W.  M.,  Abbie  SHtor ;  W.  P.,  Ed  F.  Slitor ;  A. 
M.,  Sarah  Nelings;  secretary,  Mary  Bywater;  treasurer,  Lizzie  Killen. 
There  are  now  fifty-seven  members,  and  the  lodge  is  in  fine  working 
order.  For  the  year  1916  the  following  officers  were  elected:  W.  M., 
Ederyna  Perry;  W.  P.,  Dr.  George  Tapper;  A.  M.,  Anna  Tapper;  sec- 
retary, Ella  Gertisan;  treasurer,  Josephine  Haefer. 

ODD   FELLOWS 

Northern  Light  Lodge  No.  156  was  chartered  October  17,  1867, 
and  was  instituted  November  5,  1867,  by  Orlando  McCraney,  of 
McGregor.  The  charter  members  were :  L.  G.  Ireland,  E.  L.  Rice, 
W.  H.  Murphy,  Jonas  De  Graw  and  A.  A.  Fonda.  These  members 
had  first  joined  Itasca  Lodge  No.  iii,  at  McGregor  and  then  with- 
drew to  form  the  new  lodge.  By  May,  1873,  the  lodge  had  thirty- 
three  members  and  a  balance  of  $250  in  the  treasury.  A  lot  and 
building  were  bought,  just  west  of  the  present  Citizens  State  Bank. 
In  1879  the  property  was  enlarged  and  improved  and  it  was  clear  of 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  353 

debt.  In  1884  the  lodge  bought  four  acres  of  farm  land  and  prepared 
it  for  cemetery  purposes.  Lots  were  sold  to  any  who  wished  and  for 
many  years  the  Odd  Fellows  controlled  the  city  cemetery,  beautifying 
it  with  trees,  flowers,  walks  and  drives.  On  November  16,  1884,  the 
lodge  property  was  destroyed  by  fire  and  in  1887  it  was  decided  to 
rebuild.  This  was  done  in  conjunction  with  C.  A.  Dean  and  a  fine 
two-story  structure  was  built.  In  1896  the  lodge  purchased  INIr.  Dean's 
interest,  in  1902  a  brick  and  brick  veneered  addition  was  built  at  a 
cost  of  $4,400,  making  the  property  73x78  feet.  The  lodge  hall  is  in 
the  second  story  and  is  equipped  with  dining  room,  kitchen  and  ante 
rooms.  It  is  used  by  other  organizations  and  is  one  of  the  social  centers 
of  the  town.  The  lodge  is  in  fine  financial  condition,  with  no  debt, 
property  upon  which  the  taxes  are  $151,  and  having  paid  several 
thousands  of  dollars  in  sick  benefits  and  special  relief.  It  has  fifty-five 
members  and  has  lost  but  one  member  for  non-payment  of  dues  in  the 
past  six  years.  The  executive  officers  for  1916  are:  J.  W.  IMoyer,  N. 
G.,  and  E.  L.  Rice,  secretary. 

MONONA  CAMP,   NO.  433 1,  MODERN   WOODMEN   OF  AMERICA 

Organized  November  7,  1896,  by  J.  A.  Sturtevant.  The  first  offi- 
cers were :  Dr.  J.  E.  Robertson,  Consul ;  John  Woodmansee,  Adviser ; 
F.  L.  Eaton,  Banker ;  Harry  C.  Fox,  Clerk ;  L.  A.  Walch,  Escort ;  Joe 
Keleher,  Sentry ;  John  Schmitt,  Watchman.  Managers :  Wm.  H. 
Hanson,  John  Kielty  and  John  Schmitt.  Number  of  deaths  since 
organization,  13.  Present  officers  are  J.  A,  Maiers,  Consul;  Harry  C. 
Fox,  Clerk.  Present  membership  104.  Meeting  nights  first  and  third 
Wednesday  of  each  month.  Amount  paid  in  death  benefits  since  or- 
ganization $25,000.00. 

MONONA   LODGE,   NO.   211,   MODERN    BROTHERHOOD  OF  AMERICA 

Organized  January  25th,  1898,  with  a  charter  membership  of  19. 
The  first  officers  were :  J.  Q.  Rupp,  President ;  C.  E.  Witt,  Vice  Presi- 
dent; F.  H.  Howard,  Treasurer;  F.  W.  Lange,  Secretary;  Andrew 
Kean,  Chaplain ;  Geo.  Egbert,  Conductor ;  L.  H,  Kurdelmeier,  Watch- 
man ;  Herman  Hensel,  Sentry.  Directors :  John  Schroeder,  Ed 
Oliver  and  E.  F.  Slitor.  Number  of  deaths  since  organization,  seven. 
Present  officers  are:  J.  O.  Rupp.  President;  F.  J.  Steele,  Secretary 
and  Treasurer.     Present  membership,  51. 

MONONA  HOMESTEAD,  NO.  395,  BROTHERHOOD  OF  AMERICAN  YEOMEN 

Organized  November  2,  1899,  with  eighteen  charter  members. 
The  first  officers  were :  L.  A.  Wellman,  Foreman ;  C.  D.  McGoon, 
Correspondent ;  Geo.  Graham,  Master  of  Ceremonies ;  E.  R.  Collins, 
Overseer;  Dr.  M.  D.  Brown.  Master  of  Accounts;  G.  J.  McGoon, 
Physician ;  H.  L.  Michelson,  Sentinel ;  M.  Wiedenmann,  Guard ;  Geo. 
Wagner.  Watchman ;  Mrs.  R.  L.  M.  Collins,  Lady  Rowena ;  Mrs. 
Estella  Graham,  Lady  Rebecca.  Number  of  deaths  since  organization, 
seven.     Present    officers     are :     J.     A.     Maiers,     Foreman ;    W.     F. 


354  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Humphrey,  Correspondent  and  Master  of  Accounts.     Present  mem- 
bership 6i.     Meeting  nights  second  Tuesday  of  each  month, 

McGregor 

McGregor,  with  a  population  of  about  1,500,  is  located  on  the  line 
of  the  great  C,  M.  &  St.  P.  Ry.  It  has  a  complete  system  of  water 
works,  has  one  of  the  best  equipped  and  most  successful  electric  light- 
ing plants  in  the  state,  and  a  telephone  system  that  reaches  far  into  the 
country.  It  has  one  of  the  finest  opera  houses  of  its  size  in  the  state, 
and  a  hotel  which  will  be  completed  and  opened  to  the  public  by 
January  first,  which  would  be  an  ornament  to  any  city  in  the  state. 
It  has  excellent  schools,  churches  of  nearly  every  denomination,  and 
the  best  of  society  prevails. 

In  fact  it  is  a  city  of  home  enterprise,  and  is  full  of  wide-awake 
business  men.  The  town  has  never  been  cursed  with  booms  or  boom- 
ers, and  every  step  forward  in  its  commercial,  social  and  municipal 
affairs  but  mark  its  substantial  growth,  development  and  advancement. 
It  is  a  busy  bustling  city,  sustained  by  enterprises  which  give  it  a 
metropolitan  air,  and  the  actual  advancement  of  the  city  has  just  be- 
gun. The  sentiment  of  advancement  has  taken  possession  of  the 
people — and  it  is  commented  upon  by  everyone  who  visits  the  town. 
The  present  city  officers  are:  Mayor  W.  F.  Daubenberger ;  Council- 
men  J.  D.  Pickel,  A.  Clemens,  M.  X.  Geske,  John  Kramer  and  James 
McLaughlin;  Clerk  L.  N.  Kramer. 

The  city  contains  two  banks,  four  churches,  a  weekly  newspaper, 
The  North  Iowa  Times,  bottling  works,  creamery,  book  binding  estab- 
lishment, wholesale  drug  concern,  two  garages,  excellent  hotels,  one 
of  the  largest  grain  firms  in  the  state,  Gilchrist  &  Co.,  while  as  a 
market  for  hogs  Henry  Reeves  handles  more  than  any  other  firm  in 
Iowa.  Dry  goods,  clothing,  shoes  and  groceries  are  all  exclusive  lines 
and  there  are  amusement  places,  photographers,  bakery,  laundry,  etc. 
J.  A.  Walter  is  chief  of  the  very  effective  volunteer  fire  department. 
A  water  works  system  OA^ned  by  the  city  is  valued  at  $25,000.  The 
sanitary  sewer  system  and  25,000  yards  of  brick  paving  have  cost  the 
city  $60,000,  the  school  property  is  valued  at  $40,000  and  500  pupils 
are  enrolled  in  the  schools,  which  are  of  the  highest  standard.  Buel 
park,  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  is  one  of  the  prettiest  in  northeastern 
Iowa.  An  artesian  well  1,500  feet  deep  furnishes  an  abundance  of 
the  purest  water  and  the  McGregor  electric  light  and  power  company 
furnishes  continuous  day  and  night  service. 

McGregor  suffered  greatly,  and  for  many  years,  from  the  ex- 
travagances of  its  father,  but  the  plucky  little  city  kept  on  paying  its 
debts  and  making  improvements  until  by  1914  it  was  able  to  declare 
that  its  total  indebtedness  was  but  $5,500.  With  this  excellent  condi- 
tion of  its  finances,  the  city  under  the  leadership  of  Mayor 
Daubenberger  determined  upon  extensive  improvements.  The  sewer 
system  was  modernized  and  extended  at  large  expense  and  a  contract 
let  for  the  pavement  of  the  Main  street  with  vitrified  brick.  This  im- 
provement was  retarded  by  the  flood  of  19 16,  but  was  pushed  as 
rapidly  as  possible  and  McGregor  can  now  boast  of  the  only  paved 
street  in  the  county.     Not  only  will  this  be  a  great  advantage  to  the 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  355 

business  section  but  it  is  believed  that  these  improvements  will  greatly 
lessen  the  danger  of  floods.  The  business  portion  of  McGregor  is  all 
of  substantial  brick  and  there  are  many  handsome  residences  nestled 
in  the  coulee  and  snuggled  against  the  sides  of  the  majestic  bluffs. 
With  its  natural  advantages,  as  the  most  scenic  spot  in  all  Iowa,  with 
the  trade  of  the  great  river  which  is  certain  at  some  future  date  to 
again  rise  to  importance ;  with  the  large  improvements  under  way  at 
North  McGregor,  which  will  mean  permanent  addition  of  a  consider- 
able sum  to  the  payroll  of  the  Milwaukee  railroad  and  added  residents, 
there  is  no  question  but  that  the  future  of  these  twin  cities  is  full  of 
hope  and  that  while  the  extravagant  dreams  of  the  60s  may  not  be 
fulfilled  there  is  the  basis  for  permanent  prosperity  and  growth  and 
that  the  two  McGregors  may  yet  become  the  metropolis  of  north- 
eastern Iowa. 

The  schools  are  in  charge  of  Thos.  R.  Roberts,  superintendent, 
and  a  corps  of  twelve  teachers.  There  is  a  domestic  science  depart- 
ment with  electrical  equipment  and  a  manual  training  department  and 
is  an  accredited  school.  F.  G.  Bell  is  president  of  the  board  and  A.  J. 
Widman  is  secretary. 

Among  the  churches  and  lodges  are  the  following: 

FIRST   CONGREGATIONAL   CHURCH 

Was  organized  January  2,  1857,  with  seven  charter  members, 
Rev.  O.  Emerson,  moderator,  and  Robert  Grant,  scribe.  Rev.  Joseph 
Bloomer,  coming  October,  1857,  was  the  first  pastor  and  he  remained 
until  his  death.  Succeeding  pastors  were  Rev.  T.  A.  Wadsworth, 
1859;  Rev.  H.  G.  McArthur,  1859-60;  Rev.  S.  P.  Sloane,  1860-70; 
Rev.  D.  R.  Macnab,  1871-72;  Rev.  Milliken,  1873-74;  Rev.  C.  C. 
Cragin,  1875-83;  Rev.  J.  E.  Bissell,  1883-87;  Rev.  C.  A.  Marshall, 
1887-1900,  serving  thirteen  years;  Rev.  G.  A.  Francis,  1901-07;  Rev. 
Mann,  1907-09;  Rev.  S.  T.  Kidder,  1909-10;  Rev.  Alex.  E.  Cutler, 
1910,  to  date.  The  first  church  was  erected  in  1859,  was  a  brick  build- 
ing, and  while  greatly  enlarged  and  improved  is  still  used.  A  fine 
pipe  organ  was  added  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  C.  C.  Cragin  and 
in  1886  extensive  repairs  and  improvements  were  made  to  the  church. 
Under  Rev.  G.  A.  Francis,  a  tower  was  added  to  the  church.  The  com- 
modious parsonage  was  the  gift  of  Mrs.  J.  N.  Gilchrist.  Qiurch  socie- 
ties are  the  Sunday  School,  Ladies'  Industrial  Society,  Missionary 
Society  and  Christian  Endeavor.  The  church  is  in  excellent  condition, 
the  membership  being  222,  thirty-one  having  been  added  during  the 
present  year. 

METHODIST    CHURCH 

In  January,  1852,  Rev.  Elisha  Warner,  of  Prairie  du  Chien, 
preached  the  first  Methodist  sermon  in  McGregor.  The  service  was 
held  in  the  carpenter  shop  of  J.  M.  Burbridge.  Rev.  J.  L.  Kelley 
was  the  first  regular  pastor  and  J.  M.  Burbridge  was  the  superin- 
tendent of  the  first  Sunday  School.  Succeeding  pastors  were  Revs. 
A.  Bishop,  J.  R.  Cameron.  John  Webb,  F.  C.  Mather,  Wm.  McCormac, 
(assistant)  Rev.  J.  D.  Havens,  under  whose  charge  the  first  frame 
church  was  built";  W.  H.  Keith,  C.  W.  Babcock,  during  whos  pas- 


356  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

torate  the  parsonage  was  built;  S.  M.  Brunson,  Isaac  Newton,  J.  K. 
Fuller,  F.  C.  Wolfe,  L.  Pancoast,  C.  N.  Stearns,  P.  E.  Brown,  who 
began  the  erection  of  the  present  church,  services  being  held  in  the 
new  basement,  in  1869;  W.  H.  Sparling,  Wm.  Fawcett,  1872-73,  dur- 
ing whose  pastorate  the  new  church  was  dedicated ;  L.  H.  Carhart 
and  S.  W.  Heald,  at  which  time  the  church  debt  was  liquidated. 

Other  pastors  were  Revs.  J.  W.  Clinton,  1877-79;  J.  B.  Casebur, 
1879-82;  J.  A.  Keer,  1882-83;  H.  S.  Church,  1883-84;  D.  W.  Marby, 
1884-87;  N.  Pye,  1887-88;  R.  F.  Hurlblut,  1888-89;  Wm.  Lease,  1890- 
92 ;  W.  W,  Carlton,  1892-93 ;  L.  L.  Lockard,  1893-96,  during  whose 
pastorate  a  parsonage  costing  $2,500  was  built;  J.  W.  McCord,  1896- 
97;  S.  R.  Ferguson,  1897-99;  M.  H.  Smith,  1899-01;  D.  C.  Button, 
1901-04;  V.  E.  Hall,  1904-07;  H.  Williams,  1907-08;  H.  F.  Wyatt, 
1908-10;  C.  C.  Lusk,  1910-14;  T.  M.  Neilson,  1910-15;  C.  A. 
Peddicord,  19 15,  to  date. 

Under  Rev.  Button,  extensive  improvements  were  made  to  the 
interior  of  the  church  and  a  pipe  organ  was  added,  all  of  which  have 
been  nearly  paid  for.  The  church  is  in  a  flourishing  condition,  and 
the  present  pastor.  Rev.  C.  A.  Peddicord,  is  popular  with  his  people. 
He  has  taken  a  great  interest  in 

THE  BOY  SCOUTS  OF  MCGREGOR 

The  boy  scout  patrol  at  McGregor  is  part  of  the  international 
organization.  Formerly  there  was  a  council  of  the  boy  scouts  at  Mc- 
Gregor, but  the  work  languished  until  Rev.  C.  A.  Peddicord  agreed  to 
act  as  scout  master.  He  has  taken  great  interest  in  the  work  and 
there  is  now  an  active  patrol  of  eight  members.  An  effort  is  being 
made  to  bring  this  patrol  to  such  a  degree  of  perfection  that  other 
boys  will  be  anxious  to  join  and  secure  the  benefits  of  this  order. 

FIRST  CHURCH  OF  SCIENTISTS 

Was  organized  on  the  tenth  day  of  May,  1892,  by  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Webster,  of  Chicago,  111.  The  articles  of  incorporation  were  drawn 
by  Mr.  A.  Chapin,  of  McGregor,  Iowa.  The  charter  members  were: 
L.  C.  Farnum,  Jennie  A.  Farnum,  Emma  F.  Farnum,  E.  Hoxsie,  Mrs. 
E.  Hoxsie,  C.  C.  Standert,  Sarah  Standert,  A.  F.  Hofer,  Mrs.  M. 
Hofer,  Robert  Lindsay,  Sarah  E.  Lindsay,  Edith  B.  Lindsay,  Belle 
Halverson,  INIrs.  Jennie  Mason,  G.  S.  Bouglass,  Julia  Bouglass,  H.  H. 
Reynolds,  Nelda  Reynolds,  William  Ulrich,  Matilda  Ulrich  and 
William  Scharft'.  They  have  recently  secured  a  lot  for  a  church  and 
also  the  plans  for  same,  on  which  they  intend  building  next  spring,  at 
a  cost  of  about  $4,000.  At  present  services  are  held  in  the  Barron 
Block.  The  attendance  is  good  at  present  but  many  more  are  expected 
when  the  church  is  built. 

THE  EASTERN  STAR 

Bluff  City  Chapter  No.  268  was   instituted  by  Worthy  Grand 

Matron  Mary  E.  Rathburn,  on  the  seventh  day  of  Becember,   1899. 

The  first  officers:     Worthy   matron,   Phoebe  J.   Jones;  worthy 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  357 

patron,  Albert  Clemens ;  associate  matron,  Louise  Fette ;  conductress, 
Edith  Goddard ;  associate  conductress,  Emma  Oilman ;  secretary, 
Georgia  M.  Elweel;  treasurer,  Emma  Dornbach ;  Adah,  Anne  Scott; 
Ruth,  Ruth  Webb;  Esther,  Nellie  Olson;  Martha,  Eva  R.  Jordan; 
Electa,  Anna  Fairfield ;  warder,  Augusta  Billings ;  sentinel,  Lyman 
Bass ;  chaplain,  Ida  Townsend ;  marshal.  Amy  Williams ;  organist, 
Mabel  K.  Bliss. 

The  meetings  are  held  the  first  and  third  Tuesday  of  every  month 
in  the  Masonic  hall.  Since  its  organization  there  have  been  initiated 
into  this  chapter,  136  members,  and  now  Bluff  City  Chapter  is  one 
of  the  most  prosperous  and  popular  fraternal  organizations  in  the 
county.  Deceased  members  are :  Lyman  Bass,  Fannie  Huntting,  Alary 
Plumb,  and  Mary  Hagensick.  The  present  membership  is  about  100, 
and  Ella  B.  Richards  is  the  worthy  matron. 

MASONIC  ORDER 

Bezer  Lodge  No.  135  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  was  organized  February  23, 
1857.  Charter  members  were:  G.  L.  Bass,  M.  J.  Brown,  John  Cham- 
bers, George  S.  C.  Scott,  Samuel  S.  Janes,  George  W.  T.  Harding  and 
Robert  Grant.  The  oldest  living  member  is  Samuel  J.  Peterson  who 
joined  the  lodge  July  16,  i860.  The  membership  is  over  one  hundred 
and  meetings  are  held  the  first  Monday  of  every  month.  F.  G.  Huebsch 
is  the  worthy  master  and  W.  L.  Eichendorf,  secretary. 

AUTO  TRAILS  ASSOCIATION 

The  McGregor  Auto  Trails  Association  was  organized  April  20, 
1916,  with  thirty-four  charter  members.  The  purpose  is  to  mark,  blaze 
and  organize  automobile  trails  into  McGregor  and  to  keep  them  in 
repair  so  far  as  possible.  The  association  has  already  been  of  much 
benefit  to  the  community  and  to  motorists.  F.  L.  Kinsley  is  president 
and  W.  L.  Eichendorf,  secretary. 

THE  MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY  NATIONAL  PARK  ASSOCIATION  OF  MCGREGOR 

This  organization  has  for  its  purpose  the  promotion  of  the  project 
for  United  States  to  secure  the  beautiful  and  historic  tract  south  of 
McGregor  as  a  national  park.  Many  prominent  citizens  of  Iowa  are 
active  members  of  this  organization  and  the  effort  to  secure  this  action 
on  the  part  of  the  government  is  not  confined  to  Clayton  county  but  is 
state  wide.  L.  H.  Beam  is  secretary  of  the  association  and  the  execu- 
tive committee  consists  of  J.  M.  Berry,  F.  C.  Gilmore,  North  ]\IcGregor, 
A.  Huebsch,  F.  S.  Richards,  John  Kramer,  Robert  Quigley  and  M.  X. 
Geske  of  McGregor.  J.  M.  Berry  is  chairman  of  the  publicity  com- 
mittee under  whose  direction  a  handsome  folder,  descriptive  of  the 
proposed  park,  has  been  issued.  The  project  has  received  favorable 
comment  in  the  press  from  coast  to  coast  and  has  an  earnest  advocate 
in  the  person  of  Senator  W.  S.  Kenyon  of  Iowa. 

Other  McGregor  organizations  are  the  Brotherhood  of  American 
Yeomen,  Modern  Woodmen  of  America,  Woodmen  of  the  World,. 
Foresters  and  the  Ladies  Tourist  Club. 


358  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

NORTH  McGregor 

North  McGregor  is  situated  on  the  Mississippi  river  in  the 
northeastern  part  of  the  county  just  opposite  Prairie  du  Chien.  It 
grew  up  as  the  terminus  of  the  McGregor  &  Western  Railroad  and 
is  now  the  head  of  four  divisions  of  the  C.,  M.  &  St.  P,  Ry.  It  has 
suffered  severely  both  by  fire  and  flood  during  the  years  past,  but  at 
present  its  prospects  seem  brighter  than  for  any  other  town  in  Clayton 
county.  It  is  an  ill  flood  which  brings  no  one  good,  and  as  a  result 
of  the  flood  of  1916  it  is  now  expected  that  more  than  one  million 
dollars  will  be  expended  by  the  Milwaukee  Railroad  in  improvements 
at  North  McGregor.  This  means  not  only  a  large  temporary  pay  roll 
but  an  increase  in  the  number  of  permanent  employes.  The  town  is 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  Bloody  Run  and  extends  some  two  miles  up 
the  narrow  valley  of  that  turbulent  stream.  The  town  officers  are: 
Mayor,  Robert  E.  Edgar;  recorder,  W.  R.  Brown;  councilmen,  G.  H. 
Dahman,  Cloyd  Ferris,  J.  A.  Hervison,  John  Presho,  William  Wingen. 
The  city  is  proud  of  its  schools  which,  however,  are  carried  only  to 
the  tenth  grade,  older  pupils  being  sent  to  the  high  school  at  McGregor 
at  the  expense  of  the  district.  The  school  property  is  valued  at  $5,800 
and  there  is  a  library  of  775  volumes.  The  attendance  is  about  160. 
There  are  four  rooms  and  C.  W.  Bean  is  principal.  Henry  A.  Keen 
is  president  of  the  board  and  F.  C.  Gilmore,  secretary.  A  unique 
feature  is  that  the  school  board  furnishes  transportation  daily  to 
pupils  living  in  the  extreme  western  part  of  the  town.  There  is  a  well 
equipped  volunteer  fire  company  of  which  F.  C.  Gilmore  has  been  chief 
for  the  past  twelve  years.  This  company  has  done  excellent  work  in 
its  home  town,  and  owing  to  its  availability  and  promptness,  has 
often  been  called  to  render  aid  to  other  cities. 

The  Catholics  of  the  community  attend  the  church  at  McGregor, 
but  a  chapel  fund  has  been  established  and  the  Catholics  expect  soon 
to  have  a  church  home  of  their  own.  Business  interests  are  well  rep- 
resented in  every  line.  There  is  an  opera  house,  and  the  city  boasts  an 
excellent  hotel,  "The  Berry,"  together  with  other  hostelries.  Henry 
Reevs,  owner  of  the  Reevs  Stock  yards,  is  one  of  the  largest  shippers 
of  live  stock  in  northern  Iowa.  Other  notable  industries  are  the  gov- 
ernment fish  works.  Young  fish  are  kept  in  tanks  through  which 
artesian  water  flows  continually.  These  fish  are  rescued  from  the 
sloughs  of  the  river  where  they  are  left  by  falling  water.  This  work 
begins  in  July  and  lasts  until  the  river  closes.  These  fish  are  in  turn 
distributed  to  interior  streams  in  various  states.  From  75,000  to  100,- 
000  fish  are  thus  placed  from  this  station  anually.  There  is  also  a 
large  stone  crushing  plant  operated  since  19 14  by  Sawvell  Bros.  An 
electrical  crusher  is  used  and  the  plant  has  grown  to  large  proportions. 
Another  peculiar  industry  is  the  shipment  of  mineral  medical  mud.  B. 
F.  Rosecranz  of  the  Prairie  du  Chien  Sanitarium  discovered  the  medi- 
cinal qualities  of  this  soil  which  has  been  found  to  equal  the  celebrated 
mud  baths  of  Germany  for  the  cure  of  rheumatism.  This  mud  is  used 
at  the  sanitarium  and  is  shipped  to  many  points.  An  artesian  well 
furnishes  the  water  supply  for  the  city  and  plans  for  a  city  water  works 
system  are  under  way.    Anna  B.  Berry  is  the  postmistress. 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  359 

The  largest  single  interest  is  that  the  Milwaukee  Railway  sys- 
tem. During  each  day  there  are  no  less  than  fifteen  passenger  trains 
in  and  out  of  North  McGregor,  and  as  a  junction  point,  this  brings 
much  transient  trade.  As  the  head  of  four  divisions.  North  McGregor 
is  the  home  of  many  trainmen  and  the  round  house  and  extensive 
switch  yards  furnish  much  employment.  The  pay  roll  now  averages 
$35,000  per  month.  On  account  of  the  constantly  increasing  business, 
and  more  especially  on  account  of  the  recurrent  floods,  the  C,  M.  &  St. 
P.  Ry.  contemplates  large  improvements  by  which  they  will  enlarge  the 
valley  and  make  the  terminals  at  North  McGregor  the  finest  on  the 
system.  It  is  proposed  to  straighten  and  deepen  the  channel  of  Bloody 
Run,  thus  avoiding  many  bridges  and  lessening  the  danger  of  floods. 
The  magnitude  of  this  work  will  be  better  understood  when  it  is  known 
that  the  proposed  channel  will  run  where  now  stands  a  bluff  nearly  200 
feet  high.  The  whole  level  of  the  yards  covering  many  hundred  acres 
will  be  raised  ten  feet,  and  for  this  purpose  much  additional  ground 
has  been  bought.  There  is  to  be  a  cement  round  house  with  a  capacit> 
of  from  forty  to  fifty  engines.  The  machine,  car,  and  locomotive  repair 
shops  will  be  of  cement  and  new  departments  will  be  added  with 
increased  capacity.  The  present  outlet  of  Bloody  Run  is  just  south  of 
the  pontoon  bridge.  This  outlet  will  be  moved  several  hundred  feet 
south  and  the  present  course  filled.  The  stream  will  then  be  straight 
and  flow  for  a  long  distance  through  deep  and  concrete  walls.  Freight 
and  transfer  offices  are  to  be  built  on  a  larger  scale  and  a  new  pontoon 
bridge  is  being  built.  This  is  218  feet  long  with  automatic  hoisting 
apparatus.  More  than  $1,000,000  will  be  spent  and  it  is  believed  that 
this  will  make  North  McGregor  a  desirable  location  for  factories. 

Among  the  lodges  of  North  McGregor  are  the  following: 

SOVEREIGN    CAMP   WOODMEN   OF   THE    WORLD 

Riverview  Camp  No.  432  was  organized  December  3,  1913. 
Officers:    Consul  commander,  E.  G.  Edwards;  advisory  lieutenant,  J. 

E.  Wells ;  banker,  C.  M.  Nelson ;  clerk,  F.  C.  Gilmore ;  escort,  Arthur 
Rehm ;  watchman,  John  Presho ;  sentry,  Frank  Connell ;  managers,  W. 

F.  Trainer,  H.  J.  Shafer,  C.  H.  Dickens. 

Present  officers :  Consul  commander,  E.  G.  Edwards ;  clerk,  W.  F. 
Trainer. 

WOODMAN   CIRCLE 

Maple  Leaf  Grove  No.  159  was  organized  September  28,  1914. 
Officers :  Guardian,  Honora  L.  Monty  ;  past  guardian,  Emma  Schott ; 
adviser,  Blanche  Trainer ;  attendant,  Mayme  Ross ;  chaplain,  Chattie 
Cotant ;  banker,  Mae  Connell ;  clerk,  Bessie  Gilmore ;  outer  sentinel, 
Kathryn  Kelly ;  inner  sentinel,  Hannah  Connell ;  managers,  Lora  Scott, 
Anna  Berry,  Kathryn  Grady.  Present  officers :  Guardian,  Honora  L. 
Monty ;  clerk,  Mae  Connell. 

BROTHERHOOD  OF  AMERICAN  YEOMEN 

Riverview  Homestead  No.  4828  was  organized  September,  1914. 
Officers:     Foreman,  William  F.  Helberg;  M.  C,  William  Wooden; 


360  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

correspondent,  L.  E.  Goodhile ;  chaplain,  Mrs.  Mary  Mitchell ;  overseer, 
E.  C.  Atchison ;  watchman,  James  Duffy ;  L.  Rowena,  Rosella  Wooden, 
Present  officers:  Foreman,  Everett  Hagensick ;  M.  C,  Nels  Garden; 
chaplain,  Mrs.  Mary  Mitchell;  overseer,  Paul  Trenkler;  watchman, 
James  Duffy ;  sentinel,  William  McGowan ;  L.  Rowena,  Rosella 
Wooden. 

METHODIST    CHURCH 

During  the  pastorate  of  Samuel  W.  Heald,  1874-1877,  he  held  a 
series  of  revival  meetings  at  North  McGregor  which  resulted  in  the 
conversion  of  many  souls  and  the  organization  of  a  class  and  a  regular 
preaching  service. 

Under  the  efficient  direction  of  Rev.  W.  D.  Mahry  the  church 
building  at  North  McGregor  was  erected  and  dedicated,  free  from 
debt.  Since  the  organization  of  the  class.  North  McGregor  has  been 
a  part  of  the  McGregor  church  or  charge. 

Under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  D.  C.  Dutten,  1901-1904,  a  beautiful 
little  church  was  built  on  Pleasant  Ridge  and  is  called  the  Pleasant 
Ridge  church.  The  present  membership  of  the  whole  charge, 
McGregor,  North  McGregor  and  Pleasant  Ridge  is  230.  During  the 
present  pastorate  of  191 5,  sixty  new  members  have  been  received. 

OSTERDOCK 

Osterdock  is  an  enterprising  little  village  on  the  Volga  River 
branch  of  the  Milwaukee  railroad.  Chas.  Friedlcin  is  mayor,  John  F. 
Groth,  clerk;  P.  W.  Kickbush,  treasurer,  and  Wm.  Moser,  Elmer 
Moser,  J.  P.  Haberman  and  Chas.  Bowman,  councilmen.  There  are 
two  good  general  stores,  hotel,  blacksmith  shop,  harness  shop  and 
garage.  The  creamery  which  does  a  considerable  business  is  owned 
by  the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Creamery  Company,  but  is  operated  by 
Irvin  Greyvill.  The  most  pretentious  building  is  the  Odd  Fellows' 
hall,  which  is  of  two  stories  and  contains  the  opera  house  and  lodge 
room.  The  town  is  divided  by  the  Turkey  River,  the  bridge  con- 
taining the  longest  span  in  Iowa.  While  the  population  is  but  104^ 
there  are  evidences  of  growth,  for  during  the  past  year  three  dwellings, 
one  store  and  an  addition  to  the  hotel  have  been  built.  It  is  a  very 
pretty  little  place  and  the  surrounding  scenery  is  beautiful.  Just  out- 
side the  city  limits  are  two  ice  caves  which  contain  ice  the  year 
around,  affording  ideal  places  for  picnics.  The  schools  are  in  charge  of 
Ethel  M.  Bush,  and  H.  A.  Mallory  is  secretary  of  the  board.  The 
postmaster  is  John  C.  Kickbush.  The  order  of  Odd  Fellows  is  repre- 
sented by  a  strong  organization,  with  H.  A.  Mallory  as  secretary. 

REBEKAH  LODGE 

New  Hall  Rebekah  Lodge,  No.  468,  was  organized  October  20, 
1899,  with  sixteen  charter  members.  The  first  officers  were  N.  G., 
Anna  Haught ;  V.  G.,  L5^dia  Friedlein ;  Rec.  S.,  R.  C.  White;  Fin.  S., 
E.  A.  Bush;  R.  S.  N.  G.,  R.  H.  Bush;  L.  S.  N.  G.,  J.  F.  Haught; 
R.  S.  V.  G.,  Susanna  Kickbush;  L.  S.  U.  G.,  Hannah  Bush;  Cond.^ 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  36 1 

Rose  Hansel;  O.  S.  G.,  J.  F.  Hansel;  I.  S.  G.,  Chas.  Friedlein;  chap- 
lain, Fannie  Bush.  Bertha  Tomkins  is  the  present  noble  grand  and 
Ethel  Bush  is  secretary.  The  membership  is  70  and  deceased  members 
are  Wm.  Bowman,  S.  W.  Bowman,  Lena  Moser,  Amel  Moser,  J.  C. 
Hansel,  Bertha  Brown,  Ed.  Hansel,  Emma  Moser,  Lucy  White  and 

E.  A.  Bush. 

ST.  OLAF 

St.  Olaf  was  founded  in  1872.  Ole  Knudson,  E.  Embretson  and 
H.  H.  Strom  were  the  first  merchants  and  Strom  the  first  post- 
master. The  town  was  incorporated  May  3,  1900,  and  the  first  offi- 
cers, elected  May  28,  1900,  were  A.  W.  Luth,  mayor;  John  Christensen, 
treasurer ;  William  Carney,  clerk,  and  E.  Embretson,  H.  D.  Thompson, 

F.  K.  Orvis,  John  K.  Olson,  K.  K.  Stearns  and  Harry  Barnum, 
councilmen. 

The  town  has  had  a  steady  growth  and  is  a  good  market  place 
with  a  number  of  substantial  business  blocks  and  handsome  residences. 
Since  the  incorporation  wooden  sidewalks  have  been  replaced  by 
cement  and  an  excellent  gravity  water  system  installed.  There  is  a 
storage  reservoir  with  an  elevation  of  90  feet  and  with  adequate  mains 
both  for  domestic  use  and  fire  service.  There  is  a  volunteer  fire  de- 
partment equipped  with  hose  cart,  ladder  and  other  necessary  ap- 
paratus. A  chief  industry  is  the  creamery  of  which  John  F.  Johnson 
is  treasurer  and  Amond  Laison,  secretary.  Herbert  Olson  is  the  butter 
maker.  Another  important  concern  is  the  St.  Olaf  Stock  Company, 
of  which  E.  Embretson  is  president  and  John  K.  Olson,  secretary  and 
manager.  The  St.  Olaf  Savings  Bank  is  a  strong  institution  and  is 
mentioned  more  at  length  in  the  chapter  devoted  to  the  banks  of  the 
county.  The  merchants  carry  good  stock  and  are  enterprising  and 
popular. 

There  is  a  substantial  school  building  containing  two  rooms  pre- 
sided over  by  Nettie  J.  Lauve  and  Mary  Christensen.  The  school 
officers  are  A.  L.  Peterson,  president ;  O.  K.  Houg,  treasurer ;  Theo- 
dore Knudson,  secretary,  and  directors.  Otto  O.  Johnson,  John  E. 
Jacobson,  A.  L.  Peterson,  F.  M.  Gilbert  and  Herman  Klinkenberg. 
The  city  administration  is  in  the  hands  of  Otto  O.  Johnson,  mayor; 
John  Christensen,  treasurer ;  F.  K.  Orvis,  clerk,  and  J.  E.  Jacobson, 
T.  O.  Knudson,  K.  O.  Embretson,  H.  W.  Wllke  and  K.  K.  Stearns. 
James  L.  Reynolds  is  the  present  postmaster. 

MARION    NORWEGIAN    LUTHERAN   CHURCH 

This  church  was  first  organized  at  Gunder  from  members  of 
Clermont  and  Norway  congregations,  in  1870.  The  cornerstone  of 
the  Marion  church  was  laid  September  10,  1871,  and  the  church  was 
dedicated  September  30,  1874.  It  cost  about  $4,000.  The  Norway 
Norwegian  Lutheran  church  of  Wagner  Township  is  located  two  miles 
west  of  St.  Olaf.  Its  first  church  was  built  in  1857.  Its  second 
church  was  dedicated  in  1874  and  cost  about  $3,500.  This  was  suc- 
ceeded in  1909  by  the  present  handsome  brick  structure  which  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  $15,000. 

As  early  as  185 1,  Rev.  C.  L.  Clausen,  of  Rock  Prairie,  Wis.,  and 


362  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Other  pastors,  preached  to  their  Norwegian  Lutheran  brothers.  The 
first  church  record  was  commenced  by  Rev.  V.  Koran,  of  Washington 
Prairie,  Iowa.  Rev,  N.  Brant  preached  in  the  county  from  185 1  and 
1852  and  conducted  the  first  confirmation  on  October  10,  1852.  The 
class  consisted  of  Peter  Helegson,  Ambjor  Halvorsdatter,  Egebor 
Austensdatter  and  Maran  Abrahamsdatter,  and  took  place  in  the  log 
cabin  of  Peter  Eitekleps.  Among  the  pastors  of  the  church  were  Rev. 
Koran  to  1862 ;  Rev.  Hjort,  1862-69 ;  Rev.  Waldeland,  1869-90,  being 
first  resident  pastor.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  C.  Gjerstad,  from 
1891-98.  Under  Rev.  Jacob  Tanner,  who  served  from  1898  until  1903, 
the  four  congregations  were  divided,  Clermont  and  Highland  were  one 
charge  and  Marion  and  Norway  another.  The  old  parsonage  east  of 
Gunder  and  eighty  acres  owned  by  the  church  were  sold  and  two  new 
parsonages  were  built,  one  in  Clermont,  and  one  in  St.  Olaf.  Rev. 
N.  Arvesen  is  the  present  pastor  of  Norway  and  Marion  congrega- 
tions, having  been  installed  March  6,  1904.  Marion  congregation  has 
a  membership  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  and  has  efficient  church  socie- 
ties. The  officers  are  E.  Skarshaug,  president.  Board  of  Trustees; 
members  of  board,  Simon  Nelson,  Knud  Mork,  E.  E.  Landsgard  and 
Nels  Stinerson.  Nels  Nelson,  secretary  of  the  church  for  many  years, 
died  in  1916. 

Norway  congregation  has  two  hundred  and  eighty  members,  three 
ladies'  societies,  one  young  ladies'  society  and  Sunday  School,  which 
is  held  in  St.  Olaf.  Both  congregations  have  eight  months  parochial 
school.  H.  Waag  is  the  teacher  while  the  pastors  give  religious  in- 
struction. The  trustees  are  E.  Embretson,  president.  Even  Glesne, 
Ole  L.  Embretson  and  Carl  Christenson.  John  F.  Johnson  has  been 
secretary  for  many  years.  The  two  congregations  have  erected  a  hand- 
some parsonage  at  St.  Olaf.  Services  are  held  in  the  two  churches 
on  alternate  Sundays.  The  congregations  belong  to  the  United  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church  of  America,  and  their  financial  condition  is 
good,  there  being  no  debt  of  any  kind.  The  Norway  congregation 
celebrated  its  fiftieth  anniversary  in  September,  1901.  The  Norwegian 
immigrants  who  came  to  this  country  in  the  early  fifties  were  faithful 
to  their  church  and  their  descendants  have  followed  in  their  footsteps. 

STRAWBERRY  POINT 

Strawberry  Point  is  a  beautiful  little  city  of  1,200  inhabitants, 
situated  in  the  southwest  corner  of  Clayton  County,  on  the  Chicago, 
Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul  Railway,  60  miles  northwest  of  Dubuque.  It 
is  noted  for  its  many  beautiful  homes  and  for  its  high  grade  of  citizen- 
ship. For  many  years  the  creamery  business,  supported  by  the  rich 
dairying  country  about  it,  has  been  its  most  important  industry.  It 
now  has  the  largest  whole  milk  creamery  in  the  United  States,  Over 
13,000,000  pounds  of  milk  are  handled  annually  and  the  institu- 
tion pays  yearly  more  than  $178,000  to  farmers  and  for  labor.  For 
more  than  thirty  years  it  has  been  the  seat  of  a  district  fair,  which 
has  grown  to  have  a  reputation  as  one  of  the  best  of  its  kind. 

Strawberry  Point  owns  its  waterworks  system,  having  two  deep 
wells,  electric  light  plant,  and  sanitary  sewer  system  with  septic 
tanks.    Not  only  does  it  own  these  public  utilities  but  the  total  debt  of 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  363 

the  city  is  but  $5,000.  The  city  was  laid  out  by  W.  H.  and  D.  M. 
Stearns  in  1852  and  was  first  named  Franklin.  The  present  city 
officials  are:  Mayor,  J.  R.  Alderson;  clerk,  Guy  Scofield;  treasurer, 
M.  F.  Harwood;  councilmen,  M.  J.  Goodrich,  J.  C.  Ludy ;  R.  C.  Norris, 
Fred  Pebler,  Alex.  Porter. 

The  municipal  light  and  water  plant  was  installed  at  a  cost  of 
$25,000,  and  the  city  owns  a  substantial  city  hall  built  of  brick  in  1909, 
which  houses  the  city  officers  and  the  apparatus  of  the  volunteer  fire 
company. 

Strawberry  Point  is  particularly  proud  of  its  schools,  which  are 
housed  in  a  large  and  modern  brick  building.  Fourteen  teachers  are 
employed,  with  W.  C.  Hardy  as  superintendent.  There  is  an  accred- 
ited high  school  and  special  courses  are  given  in  agriculture,  domestic 
science  and  manual  training.  One  of  the  best  improved  roads  in  the 
county  leads  out  of  Strawberry  Point.  An  annual  feature  is  the  agri- 
cultural fair  and  the  grounds  are  exceptionally  good,  with  amphi- 
theater, floral  hall,  poultry  house,  large  barns  and  an  excellent  race 
track.  The  city  has  just  been  bonded  for  $30,000  for  the  installation 
of  modern  sewage  system  and  disposal  plant. 

Among  the  civic  organizations,  the  Commercial  Club  is  important 
and  has  done  much  for  the  welfare  of  the  city.  The  officers  are  R.  R. 
Clark,  president,  and  J.  J.  Brunner,  secretary.  All  lines  of  retail  busi- 
ness are  well  represented.  The  Mail-Press  was  established  in  1874 
and  is  edited  by  R.  R.  Clark.  It  is  in  a  very  prosperous  condition,  with 
fine  linotype  equipment.  The  location  of  the  town  is  beautiful  and  to 
the  graces  of  nature  have  been  added  those  of  arching  shade  trees, 
well  kept  lawns  and  handsome  homes.  Among  the  churches  and  lodges 
are  the  following: 

CONGREGATIONAL  CHURCH 

First  Congregational  Church  was  organized  in  1872  and  in  1883 
a  church  building  was  erected.  Later  a  parsonage  was  added  and  in 
1916  improvements  to  the  value  of  $4,200  were  made.  The  present 
pastor  is  Rev.  C.  C.  Harris  and  the  church  is  in  excellent  financial 
condition  and  has  118  members.  Connected  with  the  church  there  are 
a  Ladies'  Aid,  Thimble  Society,  Christian  Endeavor,  and  a  flourishing 
Sunday  School  with  an  enrollment  of  100. 

The  Methodists  also  have  a  flourishing  church  of  which  Rev.  C. 
Rose  is  pastor. 

BAPTIST  CHURCH 

At  the  jubilee  services  of  the  First  Baptist  Church,  January  14, 
1906,  F.  F.  Carrier  read  an  historical  sketch  from  which  the  following 
is  gleaned.  In  the  early  fifties  a  few  Baptist  families  settled  near 
Strawberry  Point ;  among  them  the  Bush,  Blanchard,  Gardner  and 
Sunderland  families.  January  19,  1856,  a  church  was  organized  with 
fifteen  members.  They  immediately  began  to  build  a  church  and  this 
was  dedicated  October,  1857.  Owing  to  the  panic  of  1857,  it  was  im- 
possible to  realize  on  subscriptions  and  May,  1858,  found  the  church  in 
debt  more  than  $1,800  with  interest  from  10  to  15  per  cent.  It  being 
impossible  to  raise  this  in  the  community,  the  pastor,  Rev.  George 
Scott,  went  to  New  York  to  negotiate  a  loan,  Albert  Bush,  giving 


364  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

a  mortgage  on  his  farm  as  security.  This  was  but  a  temporary  make- 
shift and  in  order  to  pay  the  debt  the  following  unique  plan  was  used: 
Each  member  agreed  to  raise  a  calf  until  three  years  old.  All  of  these 
calves  were  marked  with  the  recorded  brand  of  the  Baptist  church. 
This  novel  plan  met  with  favor  not  only  in  the  church  but  with  those 
outside,  and  many  helped  in  this  way.  Soon  Baptist  calves  were  run- 
ning at  large  among  the  farmers  herd  on  the  then  open  prairie.  The 
herd,  thirty-two  in  number,  was  finally  sold  for  almost  enough  to  pay 
the  debt.  This  first  church  is  still  standing,  although  twice  repaired 
and  remodelled,  the  first  time  at  a  cost  of  $600  and  the  second  time  at 
a  cost  of  $1,373.  Recently,  the  church  added  a  parsonage  and  barn 
at  a  cost  of  $1,500.    Articles  of  incorporation  bear  date  of  1856. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  pastors  in  their  order:  H.  M.  Roat, 
George  Scott,  Alveo  Bush,  James  Sunderland,  Samuel  Hill,  Franklin 
Ridder,  L.  M.  Wirting,  C.  H.  Mitchelmore,  George  Peck,  J.  B.  Ward, 
A.  F.  Shrapnack,  N.  A.  Perry,  A.  R.  Button,  J.  A.  Abbott,  M.  H. 
Stickel,  H.  Bancroft,  O.  H.  Sonner,  H.  A.  Green,  J.  C.  Pater,  A.  A. 
Ostriche,  H.  P.  Langridge,  S.  H.  Holden,  S.  A.  Searey  and  W.  R. 
Bailey.  Since  191 1  some  $600  has  been  expended  for  repairs  in  church 
and  parsonage.  The  present  membership  is  fifty-five.  There  is  an 
energetic  Sunday  school  of  which  F.  F.  Carrier  is  superintendent,  and 
other  active  church  societies. 

THE  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN   EMANUEL  CHURCH 

The  Evangelical  Lutheran  Emanuel  Church  of  Strawberry  Point, 
Iowa,  was  organized  on  the  sixth  day  of  October,  1878.  Its  charter 
members  were:  George  Duerst,  F.  Zeuch,  G.  Deindorfer,  G.  Stapel, 
H.  Busse,  Fred  Schug,  Ernest  Schoeppe,  Jacob  Schmidt,  Frederick 
Schmidt,  Simon  Moser,  George  Tauerbrey,  John  Brader,  Peter  Brell, 
Rev.  Ernest  Barkow  was  the  first  pastor  and  he  remained  there  until 
the  twenty-first  day  of  January,  1883,  and  from  April  15th  to  the 
present  date  Rev.  Gustav  A.  Graf  has  been  the  pastor. 

The  church  was  built  in  1882  at  a  cost  of  $3,200  and  was  a  frame 
structure  50  feet  by  32  feet.  The  men  on  the  building  committee  were : 
John  Brader,  Fred  Schug,  H.  Marquardt,  Fr.  Schmidt  and  E.  Donath. 
The  building  was  dedicated  on  the  eighth  day  of  November,  1882.  In 
1884  the  parsonage  was  built  and  in  1893  and  1904  this  was  enlarged. 
The  school  house  was  built  in  1886  and  was  a  wooden  structure  24  feet 
by  16  feet.  In  1902  the  church  was  enlarged  and  remodeled  at  a  cost 
of  $3,400  and  in  1908  a  pipe  organ  was  installed  at  a  cost  of  $1,600, 
making  the  value  of  the  church  property  at  the  present  time  $12,000. 

The  present  deacons  are :  Fred  Pebler,  J.  Fink  and  F.  S.  Lundt. 
The  trustees  are:  F.  Weig,  J.  Eder  and  F.  Glass.  The  pastor  is  the 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school. 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  is  an  efficient  body  and  the  officers  are: 
President,  Mrs.  M.  Miller ;  vice  president,  Mrs.  M.  Feulner ;  secretary, 
Mrs.  F.  Feulner;  treasurer,  Mrs.  E.  Glass.  The  present  membership 
of  the  church  is  410,  of  these  325  are  communicant  members,  while 
the  charter  members  still  connected  with  the  church  are :  George 
Dueret  and  F.  Schug. 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  365 

ODD    FELLOWS 

York  Lodge  No.  75  I.  O.  O.  F.  was  organized  at  Little  York  on 
the  eleventh  day  of  October,  1855,  and  after  the  town  of  Strawberry 
Point  was  started  they  moved  the  lodge  there  and  did  not  change  its 
name.  Nathan  Schofield  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  lodge  here 
and  is  one  of  the  oldest  Odd  Fellows  in  the  state,  as  he  had  joined  six 
years  before  the  York  Lodge  was  organized  at  Strawberry  Point, 
making  him  an  Odd  Fellow  for  sixty-seven  years  this  fall. 

At  present  there  are  97  members  and  meetings  are  held  Saturday 
night  at  Strawberry  Point.  The  present  officers  are :  Noble  grand,  B. 
R.  Cole ;  vice  grand,  F.  K.  Dalton ;  secretary,  E.  H.  Sargent ;  treasurer, 
M.  F.  Harwood. 

The  names  of  the  deceased  members  are:  Albert  Schmitz,  M.  O. 
Barns,  Brother  Ludy,  H.  Deyo,  Brother  Clemings,  F.  Schmitz,  J.  M. 
Allen,  J.  Hedleson,  A.  M.  Haskins,  George  Bruce,  Peter  Blake,  Del 
Eaton,  H.  Eaton  and  W.  Holbert. 

M.  W.  A.  STRAWBERRY  POINT 

Whitewood  Camp  No.  156  Alodern  Woodmen  of  America  located 
at  Strawberry  Point  was  organized  January,  1886,  with  ten  members. 
Today  they  have  270  members.  The  present  officers  are :  J.  J.  Brun- 
ner,  consul;  A.  L.  Ridihalgh,  adviser;  J.  C.  Lundy,  banker;  R.  C. 
Barnes,  clerk. 

GRAND  ARMY  OF  THE  REPUBLIC 

The  Strawberry  Point  Post  No.  259  was  organized  on  the  fifth 
day  of  December,  1883.  On  August  12th,  1885,  the  name  was  changed 
to  Henry  Howard  Post  No.  259.  The  charter  members  were :  H.  R. 
Eaton,  J.  D.  Inger,  Albert  Little,  E.  B.  Williams,  B.  W.  Phelps,  R. 
W.  Keith,  E.  B.  jMoreland,  Nick  Dershing,  Ira  Cole,  Thomas  H.  Dun- 
ham, G.  Cooley,  Nick  Dasching,  K.  W.  Kingsley,  A.  G.  Costing,  J.  J. 
Stringer,  George  Deindorfer,  F.  W.  Moin,  H.  L.  Hacket,  George  B. 
Hall,  R.  A.  Hale,  Albert  Alley,  Nelson  Roberts,  J.  W.  Antrim,  E.  Tom- 
kins,  J.  W.  Thurber,  H.  H.  Smith,  H.  A.  Truair,  Hiram  Kacter,  Victor 
Balluff,  Ira  H.  Sargent,  Jacob  Miller,  Charles  Kimber,  Nelson  Gilbert, 
William  Davis,  D.  P.  Fowler,  L.  Jordan,  A.  Treadwell,  Asa  Haskins, 
A.  Chapman,  H.  R.  Colby,  Edwin  Smith,  Morris  H.  Jewitt,  Thomas 
Scott  and  George  Scott. 

The  first  officers  were :  Commander,  P.  W.  Heith,  Sr. ;  vice  com- 
mander, Edwin  Smith;  junior  vice  commander,  J.  J.  Stringer;  surgeon, 
J.  D.  Inger;  chaplain,  G.  Coley,  quartermaster,  Ira  Cole;  officer  of  the 
day,  H.  R.  Eaton ;  officer  of  the  guard,  R.  W.  Kingsley,  adjutant, 
Albert  Little ;  sergeant  major,  Victor  Balluff.  Howard  Lathrop  is  the 
present  commander  and  there  are  but  seven  members  left. 

The  dead  comrades  are  many:  H.  R.  Eaton,  J.  D.  Inger,  E.  B. 
Williams,  B.  W.  Phelps,  A.  B.  Moreland,  Nick  Dusching.  I.  L.  Cole, 
Thomas  Dunham,  G.  Colley,  A.  G.  Costing,  J.  J.  Stringer,  F.  W.  More, 
H.  L.  Hacket,  George  B.  Hall,  L.  A.  Hale,  Albert  Alley,  J.  W.  Antrim, 
E.  Tomkins,  H.  H.  Smith,  H.  A.  Truiar,   P.  S.  Lamphier,  Hiram 


366  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Raster,  Victor  Balluff,  Jacob  Miller,  Charles  Kimber,  William  Davis, 
L.  Jordan,  A.  Treadwell. 

MASONIC  ORDER 

Strawberry  Point  Lodge  No.  130  A.  F.  &  A.  M.  was  chartered 
June  2,  1858,  with  the  following  officers :  Edwin  Dunton,  worshipful 
master;  Alpheus  Scott,  senior  warden;  M.  O,  Barnes,  junior  warden. 
Charter  members:  M.  O.  Barnes,  David  Bradford,  William  Carley, 
Edwin  Dunton,  Charles  Gliddon,  A.  B.  Grannis,  George  Gifford,  H.  B. 
Ranney,  Nathan  Scofield,  Alpheus  Scott. 

The  present  membership  is  seventy-one  and  the  present  officers 
are :  H.  M.  Eaton,  worshipful  master ;  C.  A.  Schoeppe,  senior  warden ; 
J.  W.  Preston,  junior  warden;  R.  C.  Barnes,  secretary;  L.  W.  Preston, 
treasurer;  R.  R.  Clark,  senior  deacon;  Alex  Porter,  junior  deacon; 
E.  C.  Rawson,  tyler;  J.  R.  Alderson,  senior  steward;  Tyler  Gilchrist, 
junior  steward.  Choir :  Charles  Roberts,  J.  W.  Preston,  William  H. 
Howard,  W.  C.  Harding. 

EASTERN   STAR 

Chapter,  No.  86,  was  organized  June  12th,  1890.  The  charter 
dates  September  nth,  1890,  and  was  granted  October  29th,  1890.  The 
charter  members  were  Mrs.  Gertrude  F.  Moreland,  Ida  E.  Baird,  Mrs. 
L.  J.  Inger,  Louise  M.  Blank,  Emma  Whitmarsh,  Harriet  Chesley, 
Martha  Keith,  P.  N.  Keith,  J.  R.  McDonald,  Mrs.  L.  E.  McDonald, 
Aran  Blake,  E.  B.  McWilliams,  Catharine  Williams,  Augusta  Hard- 
man,  Alex.  Porter,  Mary  Porter,  Cephas  Buttles,  Grace  R.  Butles, 
Alwilda  Wood  and  J.  E.  Baird. 

The  first  officers  were:  Worthy  matron,  Mrs.  E.  A.  Blake; 
worthy  patron,  J.  C.  Flenniken  ;  asso.  matron,  Mrs.  L.  M.  Blank  ;  secre- 
tary, John  D.  Inger;  treasurer,  Mrs.  L.  E.  McDonald;  cond.,  Ida 
Baird ;  asst.  cond.,  Minnie  Gaylord ;  chaplain,  Mrs.  L.  J.  Inger ;  Adah, 
Dora  Dunning;  Ruth,  Gertrude  F.  Moreland;  Esther,  Jennie  Taylor; 
Martha,  Emma  Whitmarsh;  Electa,  Alwilda  Wood;  warder,  Mrs. 
H.  E.  Chesley ;  sentinel,  Aaron  Blank. 

The  deceased  members  are  Elizabeth  Blake,  LaFayette  Chesley, 
Mary  Baird,  E.  B.  Williams,  Mrs.  L.  E.  McDonald,  Mrs.  H.  E. 
Chesley,  Alice  Howard,  Mr.  Van  Porter,  Gilbert  Cooley,  Minnie 
Gaylor  Martin,  Ada  M.  Cooley,  Margarite  Powells,  Mrs.  A.  D.  S. 
Cooley  and  W.  H.  Hoover.  The  membership  is  109  and  the  executive 
officers  of  1916  are  worthy  master,  Gertrude  Gilchrist  Lawson;  secre- 
tary, Belle  Smith  Davis. 

The  first  Masonic  lodge  of  Strawberry  Point  was  organized 
November  14th,  1857,  and  E.  S.  chapter  in  1859.  The  first  worthy 
patron,  who  at  that  time  did  all  the  work  and  gave  all  the  degrees,  was 
Nathan  Scofield.  The  meeting  place  was  the  hall  over  the  old  Scofield 
store  building,  a  wooden  structure  that  still  stands,  being  now  used  as 
a  feed  store.  As  the  surviving  members  relate,  there  was  no  ritual  at 
that  time  and  the  sisters  were  all  required  to  wear  the  regalia  of  the 
order,  which  consisted  of  large  white  collars  and  white  aprons,  both 
being  adorned  with  pink  stars  in  the  corners,  and  it  is  said  that  a  room 
full  of  ladies  so  dressed  made  a  very  fine  appearance  when  the  chap- 
ter was  in  session.    The  organization  flourished  for  a  time,  but  a  few 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  367 

years  later,  soon  after  the  election  of  Squire  Thompson  as  worthy 
patron,  and  Mrs.  Peter  Black  as  worthy  matron,  the  former  soon  died 
and  after  his  death  a  meeting  was  never  called  again. 

The  charter  of  the  chapter  and  the  minutes  of  these  meetings  were 
sent  over  to  headquarters  at  Burlington,  Iowa,  and  later  were  destroyed 
by  a  fire  in  that  place,  therefore  a  full  list  of  the  members  can  not  be 
given,  but  those  who  are  recalled  by  surviving  members  are  as  follows  : 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nathan  Scofield,  Dr.  and  Mrs.  Clark  Rawson,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Peter  Blake,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Carley,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christey,  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Fremaine,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Alfred  Scott  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Pat  Bigelow.  The  first  worthy  patron  and  Mrs.  Peter  Blake  are 
still  bright  and  active  members  of  the  order  and  were  both  present  at 
the  last  meeting  of  our  present  chapter,  on  June  29th,  1916,  which 
was  a  memorial  to  Judge  Granger. 

p.   E.    O.    SOCIETY 

Chapter  E.  R.  was  organized  on  April  28th,  1915.  Its  first  offi- 
cers were :  President,  Mrs.  Myrtle  Eaton ;  vice-president,  Jessie 
Riddell ;  recording  secretary,  Gertrude  Coykendall ;  corresponding 
secretary.  Belle  Davis ;  treasurer,  Alwilda  Howard ;  chaplain,  Ger- 
trude Rawson ;  guard,  Carrie  Roberts.  The  charter  members  were : 
Mrs.  Myrtle  Eaton,  Jessie  Riddell,  Gertrude  Coykendall,  Belle  Davis, 
Alwilda  Howard,  Gertrude  Rawson  and  Carrie  Roberts. 

The  present  officers  are  the  same  as  they  were  in  the  first  year 
of  its  organization  and  the  membership  has  had  three  new  members 
added,  Ruth  Clark,  Kate  Newberry  and  Kathryn  Westfall.  The  meet- 
ings are  held  every  Wednesday  of  each  month,  at  the  homes  of  the 
members. 

ROYAL  NEIGHBORS 

Friendship  Camp  No.  232,  R.  N.  of  A.,  was  organized  December 
2ist,  1895.  The  first  officers  were:  Oracle,  Martha  Beavers,  vice 
oracle,  Josephine  Kinneberg;  recorder,  Addie  Hale;  receiver,  Kate 
Helgerman ;  chaplain,  Eliza  Ely ;  marshal,  Florence  Potts ;  asst.  mar- 
shal, Kate  Helgermann  ;  inside  sentry,  Lucy  McDonald  ;  outside  sentry, 
Ruth  Lamphere;  mgrs.,  Ida  Hughes,  Eva  Davis  and  Libby  Davis; 
physician,  F.  H.  Howard ;  past  oracle,  Harriet  Dunsmore ;  graces, 
modesty,  Ellen  Nace ;  faith,  Libby  Davis ;  endurance,  Annie  Sargent ; 
unselfishness,  Ida  Bowers ;  courage,  Bertha  Harrington.  The  present 
officers  are :     Oracle,  Ellen  Nace ;  recorder,  Ida  Scofield. 

The  present  membership  is  104  and  meetings  are  held  the  first 
Wednesday  of  each  month,  in  the  I.  O.  O.  F.  hall.  The  deceased 
members  are:  Louisa  Nace,  Hattie  Bacon,  Alice  Howard,  Edith 
Gardner,  Rose  Ball,  Minnie  Nelson,  Elizabeth  Pierce,  John  Davis,  Ada 
Maye  Cooly,  Clara  Matison,  Otto  Helgermann,  Millie  Frederick  and 
Anna  Goodrich. 

STRAWBERRY   POINT  A.   O.  U.   W. 

The  Strawberry  Point  Lodge,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  No.  131,  received  its 
charter  October  15,  1877.  The  first  officers  were:  P.  M.  W.,  J.  H. 
Barney;  J.  F.  Webb,  M.  W.;  Frank  Smith,  G.  F.;  W.  E.  Little,  O.; 


368  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Lyman  Sherwood,  recorder;  Dan.  C.  Deane,  financier;  P.  J.  Clough, 
receiver ;  M.  G.  Webb,  G. ;  J.  T.  Snyder,  I. ;  W.  D.  Clough,  O.  W.,  and 
these  were  also  the  charter  members.  Last  January  the  charter  was 
surrendered  and  the  members,  thirty  in  number,  scattered  all  over  the 
United  States,  and  it  was  transferred  to  Home  Lodge,  No.  3,  of  Des 
Moines. 

VOLGA  CITY 

Volga  was  one  of  the  livest  towns  during  the  twentieth  century, 
although  its  population  remained  almost  stationary.  In  1900,  the 
new  Catholic  church  was  dedicated  with  appropriate  ceremonies,  but  in 
1903,  the  town  seems  to  have  been  torn  by  divisive  strife  for  the  secre- 
tary of  the  school  district  writes  to  the  Elkader  press  explaining  the 
finances  and  asking  that  all  drop  the  quarrel  which  "has  torn  the  town 
asunder."  In  November,  1903,  the  Milwaukee  railroad  began  a  series 
of  retrenchments  which  seriously  crippled  the  towns  along  the  Volga 
branch.  The  telegraph  ofifice  was  taken  out  at  Volga  and  the  Meder- 
ville  station  was  closed,  Elkport  being  the  only  telegraph  station  on 
the  line.  This  action  was  resented  by  the  people  and  the  service  was 
later  restored.  The  importance  of  Volga  as  a  church  center  is  shown 
by  the  fact  that  the  Presbytery  of  Dubuque  met  there  in  April,  1912. 
The  electric  light  franchise  at  Volga  was  given  to  Oscar  Weisner  in 
1913,  and  in  the  following  January  the  handsome  new  $10,000  opera 
house  was  opened.  This  justly  is  the  pride  of  Volga  city  and  it  is. 
noted  as  one  of  the  finest  opera  houses  in  the  state  for  a  city  of  Volga's 
size.  C.  E.  Lovett  was  president  and  C.  S.  Adams,  secretary  of  the 
opera  house  company.  In  September  of  1914  the  cornerstone  of  the 
new  Methodist  church  at  Volga  was  laid.  Rev.  Piper  being  the  ener- 
getic pastor.  This  building  was  dedicated  February  i,  191 5.  It  is  a 
handsome  frame  structure  and  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $5,000.  The 
progress  of  the  little  city  was  so  marked  that  the  county  papers  com- 
mented on  the  great  improvements  made  in  1914-15. 

Volga  City  was  laid  out  in  November,  1851,  by  W.  H.,  Mary  J., 
and  A.  L.  Gould  and  an  addition  was  made  in  1857,  by  A.  C.  Wood- 
ward, one  by  M.  M.  Johnson,  one  in  1867,  by  Stephen  Rush  and  one 
in  1877  by  Henry  White  and  others.  W.  H.  Gould  was  the  principal 
proprietor.  He  moved  west  in  1864,  after  selling  most  of  his  property 
to  Henry  White.  The  first  frame  house  was  built  by  Solomon  Gould 
in  1 85 1.  The  first  hardware  store  was  erected  by  George  L.  Tremain, 
who  soon  left.  The  first  blacksmith  was  James  Ambrose  who  started 
in  1854.  Alvah  Bevins  bought  the  saw  mill  of  Gould  and  erected  the 
grist  mill,  in  1857.  The  first  physician  was  J.  L.  Dunn.  The  first 
persons  interred  in  the  Volga  cemetery  were  two  children  of  Henry 
GifTord  in  1846.  The  first  school  was  taught  by  Nancy  Finch,  in  1855. 
The  first  hotel  was  kept  by  S.  Harvey.  The  first  livery  was  started  in 
1869,  by  J.  F.  Jersey.  James  Hawthorne  started  the  first  creamery 
in  1879.    The  first  postmaster  was  W.  H.  Gould  in  1851. 

Volga  City  was  incorporated  in  1896  with  the  following  officers: 
Mayor,  J.  D.  Welch,  clerk,  O.  R.  Brooks ;  councilmen,  John  Burnes, 
E.  W.  White,  C.  Massey,  W.  F.  Mungren,  A.  C.  Keeling  and  N. 
Phillips.     It  is  now  a  beautiful  town  of  500  inhabitants.    The  present 


PRESENT    VIEW    OF    COUNTY  369 

city  officers  are :  Mayor,  Otto  Germar ;  clerk,  Fred  Susie ;  council- 
men,  J.  J.  Burns,  E.  C.  Becker,  V.  F.  Blake,  F.  I.  Phillips,  Fred  Rinkert. 
The  city  has  electric  lights  furnished  by  A.  Wiesner,  the  plant  being 
located  on  the  Volga  river  at  the  old  White  mill  site.  On  August  21st, 
1916,  a  bond  issue  of  $14,000  was  voted  for  water  works  purposes. 
There  is  a  stone  school  building  of  four  rooms  in  charge  of  Superin- 
tendent Walker  Merriman.  One  of  the  main  institutions  of  the  town 
is  the  Farmers'  Co-operative  Creamery.  This  was  established  in  1893 
and  now  has  200  patrons.  Adam  Olinger  is  president  and  L.  J.  Tenney 
is  secretary.  The  Volga  City  News  is  a  live  local  paper  and  one  of  the 
youngest  in  the  county,  having  been  established  in  19 15  by  K.  J. 
Konzen,  the  present  editor.  All  lines  of  business  are  well  represented, 
the  streets  are  wide  with  many  handsome  shade  trees  and  lined  with 
pretty  homes.  Robert  W.  Duff  is  the  postmaster.  There  are  three 
churches,  Presbyterian,  Methodist  and  Catholic,  and  three  fraternal 
organizations. 

The  Presbyterian  Church  of  Volga  was  organized  in  about  the 
year  of  1884.  The  exact  date  cannot  be  obtained  as  the  records  were 
burned  a  few  years  later.  It  was  a  union  of  two  branches  of  the 
church.  In  the  early  fifties  a  number  of  Scotchmen  came  to  Highland 
township  from  Pittburgh,  Pa.,  and  they  established  what  is  known 
as  the  United  Presbyterian  Church.  Later,  another  Presbyterian  con-; 
gregation  was  formed,  known  as  the  American  branch.  This  con- 
gregation held  meetings  in  the  old  Union  Church  which  is  now  known 
as  Perkins'  Blacksmith  Shop.  During  the  ministry  of  Rev.  Campbell 
the  branches  united  and  became  a  part  of  the  Dubuque  Presbytery.  The 
present  church  edifice  was  erected  in  1900  during  the  ministry  of  Rev. 
McClusky.  The  value  of  the  church  property  including  manse  is 
$9,000;  membership,  128.  Officers;  Pastor,  Rev.  Richard  Roberts; 
elders,  William  Robert,  Thomas  Dufif,  William  P.  White,  Fred  Keeling, 
Morris  Blake ;  deacons,  John  Roberts,  William  Smith,  Albert  Duff, 
Elmer  Sorg.  The  Sunday  school  has  a  membership  of  128  and  Mrs. 
Morris  Blake  is  superintendent.  There  is  a  live  Christian  Endeavor 
Society  and  an  energetic  Ladies'  Aid  Society  of  which  Mrs.  F.  Pruess 
is  president.    This  is  the  only  Presbyterian  church  in  Clayton  county. 

ROYAL  NEIGHBORS  OF  AMERICA 

White  Rose  Camp  No.  5513  was  organized  March  29,  1908,  with 
14  charter  members.  First  officers  were:  Oracle,  Mrs.  Germar; 
Recorder,  Grace  Rinkert ;  Receiver,  Jessie  Meyers ;  Chancellor,  Mrs. 
Thoday.  Blanch  White  is  the  present  Oracle  and  Martha  Duff, 
Recorder.  The  membership  is  42  and  meetings  are  held  on  the  second 
and  last  Tuesdays  of  each  month  at  the  opera  house. 

BROTHERHOOD   OF  AMERICAN  YEOMAN 

Volge  Lodge  No.  304  was  instituted  June  23,  1899,  with  29  mem- 
bers. The  first  Foreman  was  C.  S.  Adam,  and  the  Correspondent, 
Joy  O.  Bradley.  There  have  been  six  deaths  since  its  organization, 
and  at  present  the  membership  is  22. 


370  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

M.  E.  CHURCH  OF  VOLGA  CITY^  IOWA. 

I 
\ 

The  first  Methodist  sermon  in  Volga  was  preached  by  Rev.  Brier 
in  1849,  and  the  first  class  was  formed  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  by 
Rev.  Kelley,  who  followed  Mr.  Brier,  consisting  of  seven  members. 
The  Elkader  circuit  or  mission  was  organized  in  185 1,  which  included 
Volga.  Rev.  J.  G.  Whitford,  a  pioneer  preacher  of  Volga,  was  the 
first  pastor,  assisted  by  Rev.  Sydney  Woods.  The  first  Board  of  Trus- 
tees consisted  of  J.  E.  Smith,  F.  F.  Goodwin,  W.  W.  Goodwin,  John 
Welch,  Samuel  Fitch,  William  Harvey  and  J.  G.  Whitford,  of  whom 
J.  E.  Smith,  of  Long  Beach,  Gal.,  is  the  only  survivor.  In  1864  a  lot 
was  purchased  and  a  church  built,  consisting  of  one  room  and  after- 
wards a  vestibule  and  tower  and  bell  were  added.  The  first  cost  of  the- 
church  was  $1,588.65.  It  was  dedicated  January  21,  1866.  The  first 
Sunday  school  was  organized  by  Rev.  Ferris  in  1874.  Mr.  F.  F.  Good- 
win, superintendent ;  Anna  Libby,  organist. 

In  the  year  1887  the  church  had  increased  in  membership  so  that 
it  was  decided  to  have  preaching  every  Sunday  and  support  a.  minister, 
so  the  church  withdrew  from  the  Elkader  charge.  A  parsonage  was 
purchased  and  afterwards  sold  and  a  new  one  built  on  the  lot  next  to 
the  church.  The  congregation  increased  and  outgrew  the  old  church 
and  in  1914,  under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Piper,  a  new  church  was 
started  and  dedicated  January  31,  19 15.  The  value  of  the  church  was 
$12,000.  It  consists  of  an  Epworth  League  room,  main  auditorium, 
vestibule  and  basement  under  the  whole.  There  are  three  large  win- 
dows, one  in  memory  of  Rev.  J.  G.  Whitford,  the  money  being  given  by 
those  whom  he  had  married  in  the  years  gone  by,  money  coming  from 
California,  Texas,  Minnesota,  Idaho  and  many  other  states  where  his 
memory  is  dear  to  those  who  knew  him.  The  Epworth  League  and 
Ladies'  Aid  each  placed  the  other  two  windows. 

There  is  a  large  Sunday  school  with  an  average  attendance  of  106; 
Mr.  A.  Boleyn,  superintendent.  The  Ladies'  Aid  numbers  some  sixty 
members.  At  present  Rev.  Neilson  is  pastor.  The  board  consists  of 
A.  Boleyn,  president ;  C.  E.  Lovett,  E.  Clark,  Mrs.  Lucy  Goodwin,  Mrs. 
Clara  White,  Mrs.  Maggie  Boleyn,  Mrs.  Ambrose,  W.  J.  Susie,  Delos 
Grain,  Mrs.  Ethel  Grain,  S.  Whitford,  J.  Jellings,  Ruth  Smith,  H. 
Humphrey,  H.  Jennings,  George  Linder  and  A.  Perkins.  The  member- 
ship of  the  church  is  170.  Mrs.  Mary  Adams'  was  the  first  funeral 
held  in  the  old  church.  The  first  funeral  held  in  the  new  church  was 
that  of  Mrs.  Thomas  Smith  on  Christmas  day,  1915. 


CHAPTER  XV 


BANKS  AND  BANKING  WITH  BRIEF  ACCOUNT  OF  THE 
FINANCIAL  INSTITUTIONS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY. 

THE  first  constitution  of  the  State  of  Iowa  absolutely  prohibited 
banks  of  any  kind.  This  constitution  was  not  ratified  by  Congress, 
however,  and  was  never  in  effect.  The  early  experiences  of  the 
settlers  with  banks  were  unfortunate.  In  too  many  instances  banks  in- 
vited confidence  only  to  betray.  Under  President  Jackson,  the  old 
National  Bank  System  was  abandoned  and  in  its  place  there  sprang 
up  a  large  number  of  state  and  private  banks  which  issued  currency 
based  on  fictitious  asset  and  which  soon  fell  below  par.  Again,  interest 
rates  in  the  new  country  were  very  high  and  difficult  to  pay.  The 
majority  of  transactions  among  the  pioneers  were  those  of  barter  and 
trade  and  the  farmer  found  little  difficulty  in  raising  enough  to  feed 
his  family  and  to  provide  for  his  simple  wants.  When  it  came  to  rais- 
ing cash,  however,  it  was  a  difficult  matter  and  the  man  who  became 
involved  in  debt  was  often  unable  to  pay  out.  This  engendered  the 
feelings  which  resulted  in  this  prohibition  of  all  banks. 

However,  as  the  country  became  more  settled,  business  increased 
and  men  became  more  forehanded  the  necessity  for  banks  became 
apparent  and  they  grew  as  a  natural  outcome  of  business  conditions. 
The  first  bank  in  Clayton  County  was  that  of  Lee  and  Kinnaird  at 
McGregor,  although  there  were  others  who  had  doubtless  done  a  quasi 
banking  business.  This  bank  was  established  in  the  early  fifties  during 
the  palmy  days  when  AIcGregor  was  a  grain  market  rivaled  in  the 
west  only  by  Chicago  and  St.  Louis.  It  assisted  in  financing  the  first 
efforts  to  build  the  McGregor  and  Western  Railway  and  was  of  great 
benefit  to  the  thriving  community.  The  so-called  wildcat  currency 
made  banking  an  extra  hazardous  business  and  when  the  panic  of 
1857  came  this  bank,  in  common  with  all  others,  was  hard  hit.  It 
weathered  the  storm,  however,  for  the  time  being,  but  the  effects  of  the 
panic  were  too  severe  for  it  and  it  succumbed  in  186 1.  While  this 
was  a  great  blow  to  McGregor's  business  interests  there  was  not  a 
question  raised  as  to  the  personal  integrity  of  the  bankers  and  the 
feeling  was  only  one  of  regret  that  they  had  been  forced  to  the  wall. 
In  the  meantime  a  state  bank,  a  branch  of  the  Bank  of  Iowa,  had  been 
organized  at  McGregor  and  in  1863  this  bank  incorporated  under  the 
National  Bank  Law  and  is  thus  entitled  to  be  called  the  oldest  bank 
in  the  county.  The  history  of  Clayton  County  banking  is  remarkable. 
This  one  failure  of  Lee  and  Kinnaird  is  the  only  bank  failure  the 


372  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

county  has  known.  During  all  the  financial  storms  which  have  afflicted 
the  country,  the  banks  of  Clayton  County  have  stood  unmoved  and 
unquestioned.  Iowa  has  the  largest  number  of  automobiles  per  capita 
of  any  state  in  the  union  and  Clayton  County  has  the  largest  number 
of  automobiles  per  capita  of  any  county  in  Iowa.  Exact  statistics 
are  not  at  hand,  but  it  is  probable  that  Clayton  County  has  the  largest 
number  of  banks  per  capita  of  any  county  in  the  United  States.  There 
is  an  average  of  one  bank  to  each  voting  precinct,  or  one  to  about 
every  one  thousand  inhabitants.  Among  the  distinguished  men  who  have 
been  connected  with  the  banks  of  Clayton  County  are  two  governors 
of  the  State,  Governor  Samuel  Merrill  and  Governor  William  Lar- 
rabee.  The  Larrabee  interests  were  represented  at  Elkader,  McGregor 
and  other  towns  of  the  county.  At  present  the  banks  of  the  county 
are  housed  in  handsome  and  substantial  buildings,  have  large  deposits 
and  command  the  full  confidence  of  the  people.  The  stock  is  held 
by  a  large  number  of  people  and  Clayton  County  is  able  to  finance 
any  legitimate  enterprise  within  its  borders. 

Among  the  banks  of  the  county  are  the  following,  in  the  order 
of  their  establishment: 

First  National  Bank  of  McGregor — Was  chartered  under  the  Na- 
tional Bank  Act,  December  19,  1863,  capital  $100,000.  Incorporators 
were :  Samuel  Merrill,  afterwards  Governor  of  Iowa ;  Porter  M. 
Potter,  Henry  B.  Carter,  J.  H.  Merrill,  Oley  Hulverson,  H.  E.  Newell, 
W.  I.  Gilchrist,  E.  V.  Carter  and  J.  L.  Dearborn.  The  first  officers 
were:  Samuel  Merrill,  president;  Oley  Hulverson,  cashier;  directors, 
E.  V.  Carter,  Oley  Hulverson  and  J.  L.  Dearborn. 

In  1868  the  Merrill  interests  were  bought  by  J.  K.  Graves  of 
Dubuque,  Iowa,  and  a  little  later  taken  over  by  William  Larrabee, 
later  Governor  of  Iowa,  and  his  brother,  Frank  Larrabee,  who  con- 
tinued control  until  after  the  Governor's  death  in  1912,  when  the  pres- 
ent owners  absorbed  all  the  Larrabee  interests. 

The  present  capital  is  $50,000.  Surplus  $12,500.  Officers:  W.  F. 
Daubenberger,  president;  C.  J.  Weiser,  first  vice  president;  Henry 
Reeves,  second  vice  president,  and  F.  S.  Richards,  cashier.  Deposits: 
1863,  $85,000;  1870,  $140,000;  1880,  $150,000;  1890,  $180,000;  1900, 
$185,000;  1 9 10,  $270,000;  1916,  $420,000. 

First  National  Bank  of  Elkader — Incorporated  April  18,  1871, 
chartered  May  11,  1871,  capital  $50,000.  Incorporators  were  H.  B. 
Carter,  S.  T.  Woodward,  Ann  M.  Larrabee,  William  Larrabee,  R.  A. 
Richardson,  Harriet  H.  Carter,  Esther  A.  Woodward,  J.  A.  Hysham, 
Isaac  Havens,  Caroline  C.  Crosby,  John  Linton,  Frank  Larrabee, 
George  Hertrich,  Mary  J.  Granger,  Milo  P.  Clark,  A.  D.  Cook,  F.  H. 
Carter,  Timothy  Davis,  Sarah  M.  Larrabee  and  H.  S.  Granger.  The 
first  officers  were  H.  B.  Carter,  president ;  R.  A.  Richardson,  vice  presi- 
dent ;  F.  H.  Carter,  cashier.  Succeeding  presidents  were  William  Lar- 
rabee and  R.  E.  Price,  and  succeeding  cashiers,  E.  V.  Carter,  Henry 
Meyer  and  A.  J.  Carpenter. 

Deposits:  1872,  $29,500;  1880,  $53POo;  1890,  $73,000;  1900, 
$123,000;  1910,  $408,000;  1916,  $553,000.  The  capital  is  $50,000, 
surplus  $25,000,  undivided  profits  $26,000.  The  bank  has  paid  340 
per  cent  in  dividends. 

Strawberry  Point  State  Bank — The  first  bank  established  in  Straw- 


BANKS  AND   BANKING  373 

berry  Point  was  a  private  bank  by  George  W.  Lovell  and  Captain  Car- 
penter, bankers  of  Monticello,  Iowa,  in  1872,  In  1873  Mr.  Carpenter 
sold  his  interest  in  the  business  and  the  name  of  the  bank  was  changed 
to  Lovell  &  Corbett's  Bank.  The  bank  continued  under  this  name  until 
1883,  when  it  was  organized  as  a  corporate  bank  under  the  laws  of  the 
State  of  Iowa.  The  organization  was  perfected  June  22,  1883.  The 
incorporators  were:  G.  W.  Lovell,  T.  F.  Corbett,  F.  R.  Buckley, 
J.  C.  Westfall,  H.  N.  Wood,  Walker  Pollard,  J.  C.  Barnes,  Parke 
Buckley,  Frank  J.  Newberry,  David  F.  Merritt,  Ozias  Clark,  L.  L. 
Noble,  L.  R.  Noble,  D.  H.  Taylor,  Wiltse  Brothers,  W.  R.  Morley  and 
B.  W.  Newberry.  The  name  as  designated  in  the  articles  of  incor- 
poration was  Strawberry  Point  Bank.  Afterwards,  on  July  30,  1898, 
to  conform  to  a  recently  enacted  statute,  the  word  State  was  inserted 
and  the  name  became  Strawberry  Point  State  Bank,  which  is  its  present 
name.  The  duration  fixed  in  the  articles  of  incorporation  was  twenty 
years.  June,  1903,  the  incorporation  was  renewed  for  another  twenty 
years. 

The  first  board  of  directors  was  composed  of  seven  members  as 
follows:  J.  C.  Barnes,  F.  R.  Buckley,  T.  F.  Corbett,  G.  W.  Lovell, 
B.  W.  Newberry,  Walker  Pollard  and  J.  C.  Westfall ;  the  first  officers 
were  G.  W.  Lovell,  president ;  B.  W.  Newberry,  vice  president ;  L.  F. 
Carrier,  cashier.  G.  W.  Lovell  continued  as  president  for  12  years ; 
J.  C.  Westfall  succeeded  him  as  president  and  remained  so  until  the 
latter 's  death,  which  occurred  March  24,  1900.  B.  W.  Newberry  held 
the  office  of  vice  president  until  the  death  of  Mr.  Westfall  and  was 
then  elected  as  president  and  continued  as  such  officer  for  seven  years, 
being  succeeded  by  Chas.  Roberts,  who  served  as  president  until  Janu- 
ary, 1912.  At  this  time  L.  W.  Preston  was  elected  and  served  for  two 
years,  when  the  incumbent,  J.  C.  Flenniken,  was  elected.  The  position 
of  vice  president  has  been  filled  by  B.  W.  Newberry,  L.  F.  Carrier, 
T.  Dunning,  W.  F.  Reinecke  and  George  F.  Wheeler. 

For  more  than  30  years  Mr.  L.  F.  Carrier  occupied  a  position  in 
the  bank  as  cashier,  assistant  cashier,  vice  president  and  director.  He 
is  now  living  in  retirement  at  the  age  of  ninety  years,  one  of  Straw- 
berry Point's  most  worthy  citizens.  The  present  cashier,  William  F. 
Reinecke,  and  the  assistant  cashier,  R.  C.  Barnes,  have  had  the  active 
management  of  the  bank  since  1910.  The  bank  is  one  of  the  largest 
financial  institutions  of  the  county  and  was  the  third  incorporated  bank 
organized  in  the  county.  The  bank  stock  is  largely  in  the  hands  of 
local  residents,  only  95  shares  out  of  the  500  being  held  by  non-resi- 
dents. The  present  board  of  directors  are  J.  R.  Alderson.  R.  C. 
Barnes,  J.  P.  Dunsmore.  J.  C.  Flenniken,  Fred  Pebler,  L.  W.  Preston, 
William  F.  Reinecke,  Hy.  Sheldon,  G.  F.  Wheeler.  The  present 
officers  are  J.  C.  Flenniken,  president ;  G.  F.  Wheeler,  vice  president ; 
William  F.  Reinecke,  cashier;  R.  C.  Barnes,  assistant  cashier.  The 
deposits  are  $409,000,  capital  $50,000,  and  surplus  $29,000. 

The  bank  built  a  stone  building  in  1873.  which  has  been  its  quar- 
ters ever  since,  no  changes  having  been  made  except  to  provide  addi- 
tional vault  and  storage  room.  Plans  have  been  drawn  for  extensive 
improvements,  doubling  the  size  of  its  quarters  and  putting  in  such 
modern  equipment  and  fixtures  as  will  make  it  the  finest  and  most 


374  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

convenient  bank  in  the  county.  The  charter  of  this  bank  has  been 
twice  extended,  in  1891  and  191 1. 

Elkader  State  Bank — Incorporated  August  2,  1892,  and  com- 
menced business  October  i,  1892.  Capital  $50,000.  Incorporators, 
D.  D.  Murphy,  H.  C.  Bishop,  F.  J.  Uriell,  Ole  Johnson,  Sr.,  August 
Borman,  H.  G.  McGahren,  F.  D.  Bayless,  H.  H.  Hagensick  and  Christ 
Beer.  First  officers,  H.  H.  Hagensick,  president;  D.  D.  Murphy,  vice 
president;  H.  S.  McGahren,  cashier.  Deposits:  1900,  $200,000;  1910, 
$475,000;  1916,  $575,000.  The  bank  was  re-incorporated  in  1912  and 
J.  F.  Becker  is  the  present  cashier,  the  other  officers  being  the  same 
as  at  the  time  of  incorporation.  In  1900  a  three-story  brick  building 
was  erected  by  the  bank,  in  which  are  located  its  offices,  storerooms, 
and  the  Masonic  Hall.  In  191 5-16  the  bank  offices  were  doubled  in 
size  and  entirely  refinished  and  provided  with  fixtures  of  East  Indian 
mahogany,  with  safety  deposit  boxes,  fine  vaults,  private  rooms  for 
customers  and  directors  and  a  handsome  lobby. 

Monoiia  State  Bank — Incorporated  May  2,  1892,  capital  $25,000. 
Incorporators,  A.  M.  Davis,  W.  C.  McNeil,  John  Killen,  F.  W.  Rob- 
erts, Frank  Hupfer  and  G.  L.  Gilbert.  First  officers,  A.  M.  Davis, 
president;  John  Killen,  vice  president;  F.  M.  Orr,  cashier.  Deposits, 
1900,  $81,700;  1910,  $216,000;  1916,  $396,000.  Present  capital  $40,- 
000,  surplus  $10,000.  F.  M.  Orr  is  now  president,  Melvin  Davis  vice 
president,  and  H.  T.  Orr,  cashier.  Its  charter  was  renewed  in  19 12 
and  in  1914  a  fine  new  bank  building  was  erected  on  the  corner  of 
Page  and  Center  streets,  at  a  cost  of  $23,000. 

Guttenberg  State  Bank — Incorporated  May  i,  1900,  capital  $25,- 
000.  Incorporators,  J.  P.  Eckart,  Henry  Eckart,  Sr.,  John  Wolter, 
Thomas  S.  Ives,  Henry  Brandt  and  James  E.  Corlett.  First  officers, 
Thomas  Ives,  president ;  John  Wolter,  vice  president,  J.  P.  Eckart, 
cashier,  and  Henry  Eckart,  John  Wolter,  Thomas  S.  Ives,  Henry 
Brandt  and  J.  E.  Corlett,  directors.  Deposits:  1910,  $334,393.85; 
1916,  $399,470.40.  Present  officers:  Henry  Eckart,  Sr.,  president; 
T.  S.  Ives,  vice  president ;  J.  P.  Eckart,  cashier ;  O.  B.  Eckart,  assis- 
tant cashier.  Immediately  after  organizing  the  bank  erected  a  modern 
building.  It  is  a  two-story  structure  of  pressed  brick,  has  steam  heat, 
waterworks,  electric  lights  and  is  modem  in  all  respects. 

Farmersbw'g  Savings  Bank — Organized  January  12,  1903,  and 
began  business  August  21,  1903.  Capital,  $15,000.  First  officers: 
John  Everall,  Sr.,  president ;  J.  H.  Splies,  vice  president ;  W.  J.  Mitchell, 
cashier,  and  John  Everall,  Sr.,  W.  F.  Fuelling,  H.  W.  Thompson, 
W.  W.  Bulman,  J.  H.  Splies,  Frantz  Hertrich  and  G.  H.  Schulte, 
directors.  In  July,  1914,  the  capital  was  increased  to  $40,000  and  the 
bank  has  73  stockholders.  Present  officers:  John  Everall,  Sr.,  presi- 
dent ;  W.  F.  Fuelling,  vice  president ;  L.  W.  Thompson,  cashier,  and 
John  Everall,  Sr.,  W.  F.  Fuelling,  H.  W.  Thompson,  Gottleib  Zurcher, 
H.  W.  Oelke,  Lillian  L.  Schulte  and  Herman  Werger,  directors. 

State  Bank  of  McGregor — Incorporated  1903,  capital  $25,000. 
Incorporators  and  first  officers  were:  W.  F.  Daubenberger.  J.  F. 
Daubenberger  and  J.  A.  Ramage.  Present  officers:  J.  F.  Dauben- 
berger, president ;  Chas.  F.  Kramer,  vice  president  and  J.  A.  Ramage, 
cashier.  Deposits:  1903,  $37,093.64;  1910,  $186,649.70;  1912, 
$236,397.70. 


BANKS  AND   BANKING  375 

Garnavillo  Savings  Bank — Incorporated  1904,  capital  $10,000. 
First  and  present  officers :  William  F.  Meyer,  president ;  J.  A.  Hempler, 
vice  president,  and  Chas.  Roggman,  cashier.  First  directors:  Henry 
Brandt,  Henry  Dettmer,  J.  P.  Eckart,  J.  A.  Hempler,  E.  W.  Kregel, 
William  F.  Meyer,  and  Henry  Schalke. 

In  1907  the  capital  was  increased  to  $20,000.  Present  surplus, 
$20,000.  Profits  $12,700.  Deposits:  1905,  $46,000;  1910,  $347,000; 
1916,  $398,000.  Present  directors:  W.  M.  Allyn,  Jr.,  Henry  Brandt, 
J.  A.  Hempler,  H.  C.  Kuenzel,  H.  D.  Kregel,  William  F.  Meyer  and 
H.  Schalke. 

State  Bank  of  Edgezvood — Incorporated  March  i,  1905.  Capi- 
tal 25,000.  Incorporators :  Lewis  Blanchard,  Chas.  Blanchard,  L.  B. 
Blanchard,  J.  W.  Forward  and  F.  A.  Densmore.  First  officers ;  Lewis 
Blanchard,  president ;  L.  B.  Blanchard,  vice  president ;  J.  W.  Forward, 
cashier;  Chas.  Blanchard,  assistant  cashier.  Present  officers  the  same 
except  that  F.  T.  Pilkington  is  vice  president.    Deposits,  1916,  $j20,ooo. 

In  1908  the  bank  erected  a  fine  two-story  building  at  a  cost  of  $10,- 
000,  it  being  considered  one  of  the  best  bank  buildings  in  northeastern 
Iowa  for  a  town  of  the  size  of  Edgewood. 

First  National  Bank,  Strawberry  Point — Incorporated  March  17, 
1908.  Capital  $25,000.  Incorporators:  Alfred  Hanson,  F.  J.  Gressler, 
L.  Glass,  Chas.  Chambers,  J.  F.  Cole,  H.  H.  Opperman,  A.  M.  Odell, 
Fred  Glass,  C.  H.  Neiderfrank,  M.  F.  Harwood  and  J.  F.  Cole,  M.  D. 
First  officers :  A.  Hanson,  president ;  A.  O.  Kingsley,  vice  president ; 
F.  J.  Gressler,  cashier.  Present  officers :  A.  Hanson,  president ;  H.  H. 
Opperman,  vice  president;  M.  F.  Harwood,  cashier.  Directors,  the 
officers  and  F.  Glass,  L.  Glass,  J.  C.  Ludy,  C.  D.  Walcott,  C.  H, 
Neiderfrank  and  William  Blanchard.  Deposits:  1910,  $123,000;  1916, 
$240,000.    Surplus,  $6,000. 

Joined  the  Federal  Reserve  Bank  in  February,  19 14,  and  became 
a  depository  for  postal  savings.  The  bank  installed  electric  ledger 
posting  machine  November  i,  1915,  and  it  is  in  every  way  equipped  to 
meet  the  demands  of  its  customers. 

Liiana  Savings  Bank — Incorporated  April  30,  1908.  Commenced 
business  October  12,  1908.  Capital,  $10,000.  Incorporators:  J.  F, 
Miller,  G.  F.  Lindroth,  James  Humphrey,  R.  J.  Stoehr,  Fred  Palas, 
H.  L.  Knuth,  W.  J.  Splies,  F.  H.  Lindroth,  H.  Palas,  L.  Engelhardt, 
L.  F.  Oldag  and  Ed  Ryan.  First  officers:  R.  J.  Stoehr,  president; 
J.  F.  Miller,  vice  president ;  W.  J.  Mitchell,  cashier.  Deposits :  1910, 
$36,142;  1916,  $110,936.  The  bank  has  paid  89  per  cent  in  dividends. 
Present  capital,  $20,000,  and  officers,  W.  J.  Mitchell,  president;  J.  F. 
Miller,  vice  president ;  W.  J.  Splies,  cashier. 

St.  Olaf  Savings  Bank — Incorporated  January  9,  1908.  Capital, 
$15,000.  Incorporators:  J.  F.  Johnson,  O.  O.  Johnson,  D.  D.  Murphy, 
P.  J.  Cain,  M.  J.  Uriell,  J.  J.  Kann,  J.  F.  Becker.  H.  H.  Hagensick, 
K.  K.  Stearns,  J.  Christenson,  K.  H.  Groth,  Rev.  N.  Arveson,  M.  C. 
Holseth,  C.  M.  J.  Groulid,  Theodore  Eggen,  F.  K.  Orvis,  E.  O.  Glesne, 
P.  T.  Peterson,  Nels  B.  Arveson,  L.  J.  Palas,  A.  Jellum,  T.  Tollefson, 
A.  T.  Knudson,  William  Koth.  O.  M.  Benson,  A.  O.  Anderson,  H.  H. 
Diers,  L.  H.  Thovson,  C.  Christianson  and  E.  L.  Embretson. 

First  officers :  J.  F.  Johnson,  president,  J.  Christenson,  vice  presi- 
dent ;  O.  O.  Johnson,  cashier.     E.  Embretson  has  succeeded  as  vice 


37^  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

president.  Deposits:  1910,  $74,000;  1916,  $150,000.  Undivided  profits, 
$6,239.51.  A  new  building  with  fine  vaults  and  fixtures  was  erected 
in  1909. 

Elkport  Savings  Bank — Was  incorporated  April  6,  1909,  with  a 
capital  of  $10,000.  From  1900  it  had  been  operated  as  a  private  bank 
under  the  name  of  The  Bank  of  Elkport.  The  organizers  were  B.  D. 
Murphy,  H.  H.  Hagensick,  J.  F.  Becker,  F.  J.  Urriell,  P.  J.  Cain,  J.  J. 
Kann,  F.  J.  Kriebs  and  George  Kriebs.  The  first  officers  were :  H.  H. 
Hagensick,  president;  F.  J.  Kriebs,  vice  president;  George  Kriebs, 
cashier;  Very  L.  Younkman,  assistant  cashier.  Directors:  B.  D.  Mur- 
phy, H.  H.  Hagensick,  J.  F.  Becker,  F.  J.  Urriell,  P.  J.  Cain,  F.  J. 
Kriebs  and  George  Kriebs.  The  ownership  of  this  bank  is  largely 
identical  with  that  of  the  State  Bank  of  Elkader  with  which  it  is 
affiliated.  In  1912  a  fine  brick  building  was  erected  and  it  has  had  a 
highly  successful  career.  In  May,  1909,  the  deposits  were  $60,000. 
In  1910,  $74,000,  in  1915,  $136,000,  and  in  1916,  $151,000.  The  officers 
and  directors  are  the  same  as  when  the  bank  was  incorporated. 

Farmers  Savings  Bank,  Garher — Incorporated  October  i,  1909, 
Capital,  $10,000.  Incorporators:  M.  W.  Lovett,  C.  Schnepf,  J.  F. 
Adams,  Robert  A.  Gill,  William  Hammond,  E.  C.  Jennings,  B.  Hage- 
man,  H.  Haack,  A.  C.  Smith,  B.  A.  Voss  and  H.  C.  Schnepf.  First 
officers:  M.  W.  Lovett,  president;  Conrad  Schnepf,  vice  president; 
H.  C.  Schnepf,  cashier.  E.  C.  Jennings  succeeded  Conrad  Schnepf 
as  vice  president.    Deposits:    1910,  $16,255.74;  1916,  $79,239.53. 

Littleport  Savings  Bank — Incorporated  January  13,  19 10.  Capi- 
tal, $11,000.  Incorporators,  Newberry  Bros.,  C.  C.  Pust,  Chas.  Rob- 
erts, J.  J.  Brich,  J.  C.  Flenniken,  E.  L.  Gifford,  James  Sullivan,  S.  M. 
Stalnaker,  W.  F.  Reinecke,  George  Reugnitz,  A.  W.  Hughes,  Hy. 
Pust,  F.  C.  H.  Reimer,  W.  E.  Meyer  and  Chas.  Piehl.  The  first  and 
present  officers  are :  J.  J.  Brich,  president ;  William  F.  Reinecke,  vice 
president ;  E.  L.  Gifford,  cashier.  Directors :  J.  J.  Brich,  J.  W.  Meyer, 
A.  W.  Hughes,  J.  M.  Pollard,  E.  C.  Pust,  J.  C.  Flenniken  and  Chas.  W. 
Newberry.  Deposits:  191 1,  $67,050.42;  1914,  $94,768.91;  1916, 
$122,511.87. 

Volga  Savings  Bank — Incorporated  December  24,  1910.  Capital, 
$15,000.  Began  business  January  2,  1911.  Incorporators:  W.  A. 
Smith  and  C.  E.  Lovett.  First  officers :  W.  A.  Smith,  president ;  C.  E. 
Lovett,  vice  president ;  H.  C.  Andreae,  cashier.  Deposits,  $100,000. 
In  1912  the  bank  erected  a  handsome  brick  building.  The  present 
officers  are  W.  A.  Smith,  president;  Henry  Jennings,  vice  president; 
H.  C.  Andreae,  cashier. 

Clayton  County  Bank,  Guttenberg — Organized  in  1910.  Capital, 
$25,000.  Present  surplus,  $20,000.  The  officers  are  Chas.  E.  Scholz, 
president ;  J.  C.  Kuempel,  vice  president ;  C.  J.  Adam,  cashier ;  A.  H. 
Jacobs,  assistant. 

North  McGregor  Savings  Bank — Organized  in  19 10.  Capital, 
$10,000.  Incorporators :  J.  J.  Burke,  Thos.  Updegrafif,  F.  S.  Richards, 
D.  S.  Baird,  J.  M.  Berry,  G.  H.  Dahmen  and  W.  R.  Brown.  First 
officers:  F.  S.  Richards,  president;  M.  E.  Grady,  vice  president;  Nels 
Arveson,  cashier.  Deposits:  1910,  $35,000;  1916,  $85,000.  In  the 
year  1914  the  original  stock  interests  were  taken  over  by  the  present 
owners  of  the  First  National  Bank  of  McGregor. 


BANKS  AND   BANKING  377 

Farmers  State  Bank,  Volga — Incorporated  April  ii,  191 1,  by- 
James  Hawthorne  and  James  Grain.  First  officers:  E.  W.  White, 
president ;  George  Kriebs,  vice  president ;  H.  W.  White,  cashier.  De- 
posits :  191 1,  $37,113.32;  1912,  $115,402.20;  1913,  $155,494.93;  1914, 
$157,604.04;  1915,  $165,478.15;  1916,  $201,206.39.  Capital,  $25,000. 
It  is  a  member  of  the  Iowa  Bankers'  Association  and  began  business 
in  May,  191 1. 

Farmers  Savings  Bank,  Edgewood — Incorporated  April  10,  19 12. 
Capital,  $15,000.  Incorporators:  L.  S.  Fisher,  C.  H.  Bassett,  C.  E. 
Ryan,  A.  Funk,  Dock  Goolidge,  H.  H.  J.  Fensterman  and  F.  T.  Pil- 
kington.  First  officers:  L.  S.  Fisher,  president;  A.  Funk,  vice  presi- 
dent; H.  W.  Putz,  cashier.  Directors:  G.  H.  Bassett,  G.  E.  Rvan, 
F.  T.  Pilkington,  A.  Funk,  L.  S.  Fisher,  G.  W.  Fleming  and  J.  F. 
Adams.  Began  business  July,  1912,  by  which  time  a  new  bank  building 
had  been  erected.  Deposits:  September,  1912,  $20,029.59;  1913,  $41,- 
448.07;  1914,  $54,684.39;  1915,  $67,759.90;  1916,  $95,006.42.  The 
present  officers  are :  J.  F.  Adams,  president ;  A.  Funk,  vice  president ; 
C.  L.  True,  cashier;  G.  W.  Fleming,  assistant. 

Citizens  State  Bank,  Monona — Incorporated  June  2,  1912.  Capi- 
tal, 25,000.  First  officers :  W.  H.  Newling,  president ;  August  W, 
Lenth,  vice  president;  John  Killen,  cashier;  M.  A.  Killen,  assistant. 
Directors :  J.  A.  Briar,  W.  F.  Humphrey,  R.  G.  Kinsley,  John  Killen, 
W.  H.  Nelings,  A.  W.  Lenth  and  C.  H.  Wiegand.  Present  officers: 
John  Killen,  president;  A.  W.  Lenth,  vice  president;  R.  M.  Fonda, 
cashier;  M.  A.  Killen,  assistant.  Deposits,  $250,000.  Surplus,  $2,000. 
This  bank  is  located  on  the  corner  of  Main  and  Center  streets,  where 
it  has  a  handsome  brick  building,  equipped  with  fireproof  vaults,  and 
the  most  modern  fixtures. 

Farmers  State  Bank,  St.  Olaf — Incorporated  April  14,  1914,  capi- 
tal $25,000,  by  F.  K.  Orvis,  K,  K.  Steams,  Seth  Clark  and  L.  J.  Palas. 
Officers  are  K.  K.  Stearns,  president ;  F.  K.  Orvis,  cashier.  Directors : 
Seth  Clark,  W.  H.  Crary  and  Jacob  Larson.    Deposits,  $101,376. 

Clayton  Savings  Bank,  Clayton — Organized  in  1915.  Capital,  $10,- 
000.  First  and  present  officers :  J.  A.  Reis,  president ;  W.  M.  Allyn, 
Jr.,  vice  president ;  W.  E.  Gruver,  cashier.  The  bank  has  been  pros- 
perous and  is  erecting  a  new  building  this  year. 

Farmers  State  Bank,  Garnavillo — Incorporated  April  22,  191 5. 
Officers  :  Dr.  J.  W.  Rudek,  president ;  A.  N.  Stickford,  vice  president ; 
H.  H.  Kuhlman,  cashier.  Directors :  J.  W.  Rudek,  A.  F.  Kramer, 
W.  F.  Schumaker,  A.  N.  Stickford,  George  Kuhlman,  A.  N.  Crawford 
and  C.  A.  Dettman.  Began  business  May  4,  191 5,  and  on  May  4, 
1916.  Deposits  were  $150,356.17.  A  new  brick  building  is  now  being 
erected  for  the  bank's  home. 


MB  ygW  TDRK 
PUWIC   LIBRABT 


■-  ^  f      -  "^c^-*. 


CATHOLIC   CHUKCH,  ELKADER 


CHAPTER  XVI 


THE  CATHOLIC  CHURCH  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY 

THE  first  white  man  to  view  the  shore  of  Iowa  and  the  first  to  set 
his  foot  upon  the  soil  of  Clayton  county,  was  a  priest  of  the  Cath- 
olic church.  And  it  is  recorded  that,  as  his  Indian  rowers  urged  the 
frail  canoe  over  the  broad  waters  of  the  Mississippi,  he  faced  the  Iowa 
shore  and  held  on  high  the  emblem  of  the  cross.  The  mission  of  Father 
Marquette  was  one  of  peace  and  love  and  charity.  He  came  not  to  subdue, 
nor  to  exploit  but  to  tell  the  savages  the  story  of  Him  crucified;  the 
story  which  he  loved  so  well,  and  faith  in  which  had  driven  him  to  face 
the  dangers  and  hardships  of  the  wilderness.  And  thus,  in  truth,  the 
history  of  the  Catholic  church  in  Clayton  county  begins  in  1673.  The 
only  white  man's  religion  known  to  the  Indians  was  that  of  the  Catho- 
lic church  and  many  of  them  accepted  it,  and  its  teachings  modified 
their  savagery  and  undoubtedly,  if  they  had  been  subjected  to  no 
other  influences,  save  of  such  men  as  Father  Marquette,  the  conquest 
of  the  Indians  would  have  been  a  peaceful  one.  They  would  have 
been  tamed  and  civilized  and  Christianized  and,  instead  of  becoming 
degraded  outcasts,  would  have  been  a  respected  and  honorable  part  of 
the  American  race,  contributing  to  it  their  virtues  instead  of  their  vices, 
their  strength  instead  of  their  weakness. 

But  it  was  the  world-old  struggle  between  the  powers  of  good 
and  the  powers  of  evil  and,  so  far  as  the  Indians  were  concerned,  the 
powers  of  evil  won.  The  virtues  of  the  white  race  touched  the  Indians 
only  through  their  zealous  missionaries  of  the  Catholic  church ;  the 
vices  touched  them  at  every  hand  through  the  greed  and  rapacity  of 
traders  and  trappers.  And  again,  the  only  restraining  influence  upon 
the  trappers  was  their  faint  allegiance  to  Catholicism.  It  may  be 
well  imagined  that  these  men,  picked  by  these  great  trading  companies, 
not  for  their  virtues,  but  for  their  hardihood  and  craft,  faring  into  the 
wilderness,  without  sight  or  knowledge  of  other  white  men,  except 
those  of  their  own  party;  a  law  unto  themselves  without  any  restraints 
of  civilization ;  should  be  held  lightly  by  religious  ties.  Nevertheless, 
every  white  man  who  set  foot  in  Clayton  county  for  more  than  half  a 
century  after  the  coming  of  IMarquette,  owed  final  allegiance  to  the 
Catholic  church. 

The  Canadian  voyageur  was  not  all  bad;  he  had  the  swift  pas- 
sions and  the  fierce  temper  of  the  autocrat,  that  he  was,  but  he  also 
had  a  vein  of  sentiment  and  of  poetry,  of  loyalty  and  faith.     Of  all 


380  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  white  men  coming  in  contact  with  the  Indian,  the  Frenchman  was 
the  most  beloved  and  the  most  trusted,  for,  though  urged  by  an  adven- 
turous spirit  into  the  woody  soHtudes  of  the  Northern  Hemisphere,  the 
emblem  of  the  crucifix  hung  upon  his  breast,  and,  when  dying,  the 
words  of  "Pater  Noster"  were  the  last  that  lingered  on  his  lips.  With 
such  a  record  and  disposition  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  church 
became  firmly  and  suddenly  established  when  and  where  these  sturdy 
pioneers  resolved  to  dwell.  Many  years  before  1833,  which  may  be 
set  as  the  date  when  this  county  was  first  open  to  white  settlement, 
there  had  been  a  Catholic  church  at  Prairie  du  Chien  and  priests  from 
that  village  undoubtedly  looked  after  the  spiritual  wants  of  the  few 
Catholics  then  in  Clayton  county.  Among  the  earliest  settlers  many 
were  of  the  Catholic  faith.  Whither  they  came  from  France  or 
Ireland,  their  faith  accompanied  them,  and  no  sooner  had  they  rearedi 
their  cabin  homes  and  formed  domestic  ties,  they  immediately  organ- 
ized to  erect  a  suitable  place  for  the  worship  of  God  and  the  adminis- 
tration of  the  sacrament.  Perhaps  the  earliest  priest  to  celebrate  mass 
in  this  county  was  Rev.  Joseph  Cretin.  He  came  to  Garnavillo  in 
1840,  from  his  residence  in  Dubuque  and  celebrated  the  mass  in  the 
log  homes  of  the  Catholic  settlers.  Father  Cretin  was  one  of  the 
great  missionaries  of  the  Catholic  church  in  the  Upper  Mississippi 
valley.  He  went  from  one  tiny  settlement  to  another,  from  Dubuque 
to  the  headwaters  of  the  Mississippi,  suffering  all,  and  more,  of  the 
hardships  of  the  pioneer,  and  doing  it  cheerfully  and  with  happiness, 
for  the  sake  of  the  joy  he  brought  to  others  and  for  the  honor  of  his 
beloved  church.  Later  on  he  became  the  first  bishop  of  St.  Paul,  a  fit- 
ting recognition  of  his  great  worth  and  labor. 

Among  the  early  Catholic  settlers  at  Garnavillo  were  Mrs.  Uriell 
and  her  three  sons,  Patrick,  John  and  Michael ;  John  Barrett,  Casper 
Becker  and  William  Schulte.  Mass  was  celebrated  in  the  home  of 
John  Barrett  and  William  Schulte.  By  1843  there  were  twenty  fam- 
ilies in  this  vicinity  and  they  organized  for  the  erection  of  a  little 
chapel  which  they  called  St.  Bridget's.  This  was  the  first  church  build- 
ing in  Clayton  county.  Having  no  regular  appointed  pastor  mass  was 
celebrated  at  irregular  intervals  whenever  a  priest  could  be  obtained. 
Among  the  early  priests  of  this  church  may  be  named  Father  Piatt  and 
Father  Orth  of  New  Vienna,  Father  Lynch  of  Holy  Cross  and  Father 
Byrne  of  Elkader.  It  was  Father  Lynch  who  blessed  the  cemetery 
which  contains  the  remains  of  so  many  Catholic  pioneers.  In  i860 
the  sacrament  of  confirmation  was,  for  the  first  time,  administered  to 
the  Garnavillo  congregation.  This  same  year  the  pioneer  church 
building  was  disposed  of  and  another  site  purchased  on  which  to  erect 
a  larger  edifice.  This  new  site  originally  belonged  to  the  village  of 
Garnavillo  and  on  it  was  laid  the  foundation  for  the  public  school. 
The  project  never  maturing,  on  that  foundation  the  present  brick 
church  was  erected.  In  1866,  a  building  committee  consisting  of 
James  Uriell,  Frank  Schulte,  and  Casper  Becker  was  appointed. 
Under  their  leadership,  and  backed  by  the  splendid  cooperation  of  the 
congregation  a  handsome  edifice  costing  $6,500  was  erected  and  this 
has  been  added  to,  from  time  to  time,  until  it  stands  today  as  a  monu- 
ment to  the  zeal  of  these  Catholic  pioneers.     Rev.  Father  Leussman 


THE  CATHOLIC   CHURCH  OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY  381 

of  Guttenberg,  served  as  pastor  until  October,  1877,  when  Rev.  John 
F.  Kemker  took  charge,  as  the  first  resident  priest.  He  remained 
until  January  10,  1878,  but  during  his  short  pastorage  a  modest  par- 
sonage costing  $1,000  was  erected.  For  a  year  the  church  remained 
without  a  pastor  when,  January  17,  1879,  Rev.  Father  P.  O.  Peschong 
was  placed  in  charge. 

In  the  meantime  the  church  had  not  been  idle  in  other  localities. 
Guttenberg,  or  rather  the  site  of  Guttenberg  was  purchased  by  the 
Western  Settlement  Association,  in  1847.  Many  of  the  German  set- 
tlers were  Catholics  and  it  was  a  short  time  before  they  banded 
together  for  religious  worship.  By  1850,  they  had  purchased  a  frame 
residence,  with  two  lots,  in  the  northern  section  of  the  town,  owned 
by  John  Leonard.  The  purchase  of  the  property,  however,  exhausted 
the  resources  of  the  little  congregation,  and  it  was  some  months  before 
the  necessary  furniture  and  equipment  could  be  provided.  In  March, 
1 85 1,  however,  the  building  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  Father  G.  H. 
Plate.  Father  Plate  remained  but  a  short  time,  being  transferred  to 
New  Vienna  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Father  Lentner.  In 
August,  185 1,  the  congregation  was  delighted  with  the  gift  of  a  bell 
made  by  Mr.  Floeder  of  Cincinnati.  This  was  undoubtedly  the  first 
church  bell  that  rang  out  its  messages  of  joy  and  sorrow  to  the  people 
of  Clayton  county.  It  was  the  fourteenth  of  August,  1851,  that  the 
bell  sent  its  message  to  devout  CathoHcs  of  Guttenberg.  The  church 
rapidly  outgrew  its  first  quarters  and  in  1853,  through  the  efforts  of 
B.  Biermann  sufficient  funds  were  raised  to  build  a  brick  addition, 
30x50  feet,  to  be  used  solely  for  church  purposes.  Rev.  Father 
Lentner  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  A.  J.  M.  Schweiger  and  under  his 
administration  the  new  addition  was  dedicated  and  a  tower  proposed. 
But  there  was  much  work  for  the  priests  of  those  early  days.  Widely 
scattered  settlements  urgently  demanded  religious  services  and  it  was 
deemed  the  part  of  selfishness  to  allow  one  parish  a  resident  priest  while 
many  would-be  parishes  went  without.  Thus,  during  summer  rnonths, 
the  priests  went  from  settlement  to  settlement  and  remained  with  the 
more  settled  parishes  during  the  winter  months  when  roads  were 
impassable.  For  some  time  the  Guttenberg  church  had,  therefore,  a 
pastor  but  at  intervals. 

The  coming  of  Rev.  William  Edmonds,  who  stopped  with  the 
congregation  for  a  few  months,  in  1853,  was  followed  by  an  event  of 
great  interest  and  spiritual  value  to  the  Catholics  of  this  congregation. 
Rev.  F.  X.  Wenninger  of  the  order  of  the  Jesuits,  came  to  Guttenberg 
and  held  one  of  the  greatest  missions  ever  held  in  this  county.  The 
little  church  was  entirely  too  small  to  hold  the  congregation  which 
came  to  hear  him.  A  cross  was  erected,  and  in  the  open  air,  for  days 
he  proclaimed  to  the  people  the  doctrines  of  the  church.  His  preach- 
ing was  effectual  and  the  benefit  enduring.  In  1854,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Rev.  H.  Remsen  a  tower  was  added,  proclaiming  to  the  way- 
farer on  the  Mississippi  that  the  church  of  Marquette  had  found  a 
permanent  home  upon  the  land  which  he  discovered.  Among  the 
priests,  after  July,  1854,  there  came  in  the  following  order.  Rev.  M. 
Lynch,  Rev.  W.  Edmonds,  Rev.  Philip  Laurent,  Rev.  M.  James  Orth, 
and  Rev.  Frederick  Hannash.    During  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Hannash, 


382  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Peter  Roth  donated  two  lots  for  the  erection  of  a  school  house.  Work 
was  begun  on  the  school  in  1859  ^^^  was  completed  in  i860.  This 
was  a  stone  building  two  stories  high.  Rev.  Herderer  succeeded  Rev. 
Hannash  in  1861,  and  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Conrad  Schulte  who 
was  pastor  until  1867.  During  these  years  the  school  had  a  precarious 
existence  owing  to  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  suitable  teachers.  In 
1865,  an  organization  was  formed  but  though  continued  for  several 
years  nothing  was  accomplished  because  the  people  were  divided  as  to 
location.  This  unfortunate  division  begot  factions,  causing  many  sin- 
cere Catholics  to  leave  for  other  posts.  The  pastor  then  in  charge 
was  Rev.  Father  Massjost.  In  1870,  sisters  of  the  Perpetual  Adora- 
tion from  La  Crosse  took  charge  of  the  school.  In  the  same  year  a 
pipe  organ,  built  by  Liborius  Keller,  a  member  of  the  congregation, 
was  added  to  the  church.  Rev.  Father  Luehrsmann  succeeded  Father 
Massjost  in  1874.  Under  his  charge  the  cornerstone  of  a  new  church 
was  laid  and  in  a  comparatively  brief  time  the  structure  was  brought 
to  completion.  The  actual  work  of  building  restored  harmony  to  the 
congregation  and  all  labored  faithfully  for  the  erection  of  the  imposing 
stone  structure  which  was  dedicated  in  the  fall  of  1874.  In  1875  the 
old  church  was  torn  down  and  the  serviceable  material  used  in  the 
erection  of  a  residence  for  the  sisters.  Rev.  F.  V.  Boeding  followed 
Rev.  Leuhrsmann,  in  1878.  This  priest  labored  faithfully  but  his 
health  became  affected  by  the  malaria  which  followed  the  flood  of 
1880  and  in  1882  he  was  removed  for  the  benefit  of  his  health.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  B.  Albers  who  served  as  pastor  for  seven 
years  and  in  turn  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Joseph  H.  Brinkmann,  the 
present  worthy  and  energetic  pastor.  In  1894  a  handsome  brick  school 
building  was  built,  containing,  on  the  first  floor,  four  school  rooms 
and  on  the  second  floor  assembly  room  for  the  church  societies.  In 
1899,  a  substantial  brick  parsonage  was  added  and  in  1902  excavation 
was  made  for  a  new  church  building  to  cost  not  less  than  $20,000  and 
this  building  was  rapidly  pushed  to  completion  by  the  zealous 
members  of  the  congregation.  It  is  a  fine  structure  of  pressed  brick, 
the  auditorium  having  a  seating  capacity  of  800.  The  church  was 
dedicated  by  the  Most  Reverend  John  J.  Keane,  Archbishop  oi 
Dubuque.  Reverend  Joseph  H.  Brinkmann  was  then  in  charge  of  the 
church  and  has  been  until  this  date,  1916.  He  is  dearly  beloved  by  his 
people  and  has  made  this  one  of  the  most  religious  bodies  of  the 
county. 

Even  before  the  town  of  Elkader  was  laid  out  and  named  after  the 
brave  Arab  chief,  religious  services  were  held  for  the  Catholics  of  that 
community.  Rev.  Michael  Lynch  of  Holy  Cross  was  perhaps  the  first 
priest  to  attend  to  their  spiritual  needs.  Later  came  Fathers  William 
Edmonds,  Phillip  Laurent,  Frederick  Orth,  Louis  DeCailly  and  R. 
Nagel.  The  first  mass  was  celebrated  by  Father  Lynch  on  what  was 
later  known  as  the  David  Livingood  corner.  The  first  baptism  is  that 
of  Julia  Anna  Barrett,  by  Father  Edmonds,  March  6,  1855.  In  1856, 
Rev.  Peter  McGinnis  was  stationed  at  the  Elkader  mission  and  he  at 
once  began  the  work  of  establishing  a  permanent  church  home.  The 
records  of  the  Catholic  almanac  and  directory  give  the  following  as 
to  Elkader :  "Elkader,  Nativity  of  Our  Blessed  Lady ;  40  acres  of  land ; 


THE  CATHOLIC   CHURCH  OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY  385 

church  in  contemplation."  Concerning  the  other  churches  of  the 
cfounty  the  almanac  says:  "Guttenberg,  Immaculate  Conception  of  Our 
Blessed  Virgin  (German)  five  town  lots  and  a  graveyard;  a  fine  brick 
church  and  a  good  school.  There  will  be  a  priest  stationed  in  short. 
Garnavillo,  St.  Bridget,  Irish  and  German;  frame  church  on  two  lots 
— attended  from  Guttenberg.  Beuna  Vista — Saint  Mary  Magdalene, 
attended  from  Holy  Cross.  Monona — St.  Richards,  forty  acres  of 
land — attended  by  Rev.  Phillip  Laurent." 

The  handsome  little  stone  church  built  during  the  pastorage  of 
Father  IMcGinnis  is  still  standing  and  is  a  monument  to  the  good 
workmanship  of  the  day.  It  was  not  completed  until  1868.  Father 
McGinnis  was  succeeded  April  8th,  1861,  by  Rev.  Michael  O'Brien 
who  remained  until  his  death  November  26,  1867.  His  remains  were 
buried  in  the  old  church,  but,  in  1899,  they  were  removed  to 
St.  Joseph's  cemetery.  During  his  pastorate,  a  small  parsonage  was 
built  and  ground  for  the  cemetery  was  purchased. 

Rev.  J.  J.  Quigley  came  to  the  church  December  14th,  1867,  dying 
September  nth,  1887.  This  period  of  twenty  years  witnessed  a  great 
growth  in  the  church  property  and  in  the  numbers  and  wealth  of  the 
congregation.  His  first  efforts  were  for  the  establishment  of  a  school. 
The  church  records  at  Dubuque  for  August  26th,  1868,  contain  the 
following  entry :  "Sister  Mary  Chlotilde  and  companion  go  to  Elkader 
tomorrow  and  Sister  Mary  Ildephonse  is  to  accompany  them."  The 
school  was  thus  established,  but  without  an  adequate  home  until  1870, 
when  a  school  building  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  Through  the 
ceaseless  efforts  of  Father  Quigley,  the  parochial  residence  was 
enlarged,  and,  in  1876,  the  beautiful  chimes  of  three  bells  were  added 
at  a  cost  of  $1,800.  These  bells  surpassed  in  size  any  then  possessed 
in  the  state.  Rev.  Father  J.  F.  Reilly  took  charge  of  the  parish  upon 
the  death  of  Father  Quigley  To  him  the  burden  seemed  too  great,  as 
his  physical  health  was  not  the  best.  Yet  for  nearly  thirty  years,  he 
has  not  failed  in  his  earnest  way  to  labor  for  the  spiritual  welfare  of 
his  charge.  He  has  earned  the  affectionate  esteem  of  Catholic  and 
non-Catholic,  and  he  has  at  all  times  been  a  power  for  good  in  the 
community,  preserving  harmony  and  standing  for  the  best  in  the  life 
of  the  church  and  of  the  city. 

We  find  the  following  in  the  public  press  relating  to  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  new  church  erected  by  him  in  1898:  "In  1897,  agitation 
was  commenced  for  the  erection  of  a  new  church  as  the  old  one  was 
found  to  be  inadequate.  The  matter  was  canvassed  and  a  building 
committee  composed  of  P.  J.  Cain,  Ed.  Hofer.  Wm.  Bauer,  James 
Foran  and  N.  Fitzpatrick  was  appointed.  Guido  Beck  of  Dubuque 
was  the  architect  and  the  beauty  of  the  double  Gothic  structure  as  it 
stands  today  is  a  monument  to  his  ability.  Thos.  Byrnes,  who  built 
the  Elkader  stone  arch  bridge  and  the  Hotel  Bayless  was  the  contrac- 
tor. The  amount  of  the  contract  was  $12,800.  The  cornerstone  was  laid 
April  24, 1 897,  in  the  presence  of  about  1,500  people.  The  Foresters,  led  by 
F.  J.  Uriell  and  D.  D.  Murphy,  marched  to  the  site  of  the  church  and 
the  ceremony  was  conducted  by  Father  Rowe  of  Strawberry  Point, 
assisted  by  Fathers  Dollard  of  Elkport,  O'Donnell  of  McGregor, 
O'Dowd    of    Independence,    Raedler    of    Garnavillo    and    Hogan    of 


384  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Monona.  The  oration  was  delivered  by  Rev.  Father  Coyle  of  Cedar 
Falls.  The  church  was  dedicated  on  Thanksgiving  day,  1899,  Very 
Rev.  Monsignor  Ryan  representing  the  archbishop  and  Rev.  J.  Fitz- 
Patrick  of  Dubuque  preaching  the  dedicatory  sermon.  The  church  is 
a  solid  stone  structure  of  native  rock,  the  Gothic  style  of  architecture 
is  well  carried  out.  The  main  body  of  the  church  is  fifty-five  feet  wide 
by  eighty-five  feet  long,  the  extreme  length  being  one  hundred  sixteen 
feet,  the  tower  rises  one  hundred  forty-two  feet  from  the  water 
table  on  the  top  of  the  cross  which  surmounts  it.  The  seating  capacity 
is  over  five  hundred  and  twenty.  With  the  beautiful  living  green 
of  the  hills  for  a  background,  the  church  stands  with  its  graceful  and 
symmetrical  outlines  as  a  great  gray  monument  to  the  loyalty  and  devo- 
tion of  the  Catholics  of  Elkader.  The  interior  is  in  keeping  and  the 
entire  church  property  is  one  of  which  the  people  may  well  be  proud. 

Rev.  J.  F.  Reilly  was  born  in  Ohio  in  1854.  His  parents  later 
moved  to  Kentucky  and  there  he  lived  as  a  youth.  He  was  educated 
in  the  classical  course  in  Lenox  College  and  at  St.  Joseph's  College, 
Bardstown,  Kentucky,  and  also  at  St.  Joseph's  College  at  Dubuque.  He 
made  his  seminary  course  in  Montreal,  Canada,  and  in  Dubuque.  He 
was  ordained  to  the  priesthood  in  1881  and  his  first  charge  was  at 
Harper's  Ferry.  He  was  assigned  to  McGregor  in  1884  and  to  Elka- 
der, September  13th,  1887.  His  congregation  is  now  in  a  prosperous 
condition.  The  school  is  well  attended  and  of  high  standard.  The 
congregation  is  large  and  united  and  the  church  property  well  main- 
tained and  cared  for. 

The  history  of  the  church  at  McGregor  is  equally  interesting.  For 
many  years  the  first  Catholic  settlers  at  McGregor's  Landing  were 
cared  for  spiritually  by  the  priests  at  Prairie  du  Chien.  Rev.  Father 
DeCailly  was  the  first  resident  priest  at  McGregor  and  the  first  baptis- 
mal ceremony  was  performed  by  him  on  May  7th,  1857.  Rev.  Richard 
Nagel  succeeded  him  in  July,  1858.  He  lived  for  a  brief  time  near 
Monona  and  attended  the  parishes  at  McGregor,  Monona,  Elkader, 
Postville  and  other  places.  There  being  no  church  at  McGregor,  mass 
being  celebrated  in  private  homes.  Through  his  efforts  a  frame  church 
building  was  erected  and  a  parsonage  purchased,  and  he  became  the 
first  resident  pastor.  He  was  succeeded  in  1868  by  Father  B.  C. 
Lenihan.  Father  Nagel  was  pastor  during  the  most  exciting  and 
turbulent  days  of  McGregor's  history,  and  there  are  numerous 
instances  recorded  of  his  splendid  work  for  the  maintenance  of  law 
and  order  and  public  decency.  He  antagonized  the  rougher  elements 
of  the  city  and  more  than  once  his  life  was  threatened,  but  he  went  his 
way  fearing  no  man  and  the  terror  of  evil  doers. 

Father  Lenihan,  afterward  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of 
the  Catholic  church  in  Iowa,  purchased  a  parsonage  on  ground  donated 
by  James  McGregor,  Jr.  He  also  erected  a  school  and  a  home  for  the 
sisters  in  charge.  Sisters  of  Charity  were  secured  from  Dubuque  and 
a  parochial  school  was  opened.  Father  Sullivan  succeeded  him  in 
1873,  and  during  his  pastorate  the  present  rectory  was  built.  Father 
D.  H.  Murphy  became  pastor  in  the  year  of  1875,  and  in  1876  was 
followed  by  the  Rev.  M,  O.  Carroll.  In  1878,  in  one  of  McGregor's 
many  fires,  the  church  was  totally  destroyed.     There  being  no  insur- 


THE  CATHOLIC   CHURCH  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY  385 

ance  on  the  building  the  loss  was  well  nigh  irreparable.  Efforts  were 
at  once  made  to  rebuild,  but  from  1878  until  1881  the  congregation 
was  without  a  church  and  mass  was  celebrated  in  the  school.  These 
were  gloomy  days  in  the  history  of  the  McGregor  church.  The 
school  was  closed  and  the  sisters  returned  to  their  mother  house  in 
Dubuque.  Rev.  Carroll  was  succeeded,  in  1879,  ^Y  ^^^-  T.  D. 
Brennan  and,  in  1880,  Rev.  Garrett  D.  Nagel  assumed  charge.  Under 
his  energetic  administration  the  present  church  was  begun  in  1881. 
The  building  committee  consisted  of  Charles  Budde,  John  Corts, 
Joseph  Andres,  T.  J.  Sullivan,  Louis  Budde  and  Arthur  Dunn.  In 
1884,  Father  Nagel  was  able  to  leave  McGregor  with  the  handsome 
structure  which  occupies  such  a  commanding  position  at  the  head  of 
Main  Street,  completed  and  free  from  debt.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  J.  F.  Reilly,  who  was  with  the  church  for  three  years,  during 
which  time  the  Sisters  were  recalled  and  the  school  was  reopened. 
During  his  pastorate  the  interior  of  the  church  was  remodelled. 
Father  Charles  Carroll  was  pastor  from  1887  to  1891.  During  his 
regime  the  church  was  gutted  by  fire  at  the  noon  hour  on  Christmas 
day.  Under  his  direction  the  interior  was  restored  and  beautiful 
fresco  work  added.  At  this  time  St.  Mary's  academy  was  established. 
Father  Curran  was  the  next  pastor,  remaining  but  a  few  months. 
Father  O'Donnell  came  to  the  church  in  1891  and  was  its  well  beloved 
pastor  until  his  death  in  1908.  Through  lack  of  support  the  school 
was  again  abandoned.  Father  Lundon  was  pastor  from  1908  to  191 1 
when  he  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  Thos.  Dowling.  His  efficiency  and 
zeal  were  marked  from  his  first  taking  charge.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Rev.  J.  F.  Horsefield  May  loth,  1916,  and  he  is  the  present  popular 
pastor  of  the  church. 

Another  of  the  older  churches  of  the  county  is  that  at  Monona. 
In  March,  1856,  a  number  of  the  Catholics  of  the  vicinity  met  and 
organized  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  a  church.  The  building  com- 
mittee consisted  of  Michael  Humphrey,  Denis  O'Leary,  Richard 
Humphrey,  Patrick  Geraghty  and  James  Humphrey,  and  in  May,  1856,  ^^a^ 
under  the  supervision  of  Father  DeCailly  a  frame  structure,  twenty- 
four  by  forty  was  erected.  In  1869,  this  little  pioneer  structure  was 
replaced  by  the  present  handsome  brick  building.  Father  Richard 
Nagel  was  the  first  pastor,  from  1857  to  1858.  After  his  time  the 
church  was  attended  by  pastors  of  McGregor,  until  1873,  when  Father 
Toner  became  its  second  resident  pastor,  followed  by  Father  Brady. 
Thence,  until  1884,  it  was  served  by  pastors  of  McGregor.  In  that 
year  it  secured  its  own  pastor  in  the  person  of  Rev.  Michael  Hennessey 
who  served  it  from  1884  until  1887.  From  that  date  until  1893  its 
rectorship  was  filled  by  two  brothers.  Father  James  F.  Corbett  and 
Father  Patrick  Corbett.  In  1893  Rev.  M.  Hogan  was  assigned  to  the 
charge.  For  a  number  of  years  he  served  at  Postville  also,  as  an  out- 
side mission.  During  his  administration  a  fine  parochial  school  was 
built  at  a  cost  of  $20,000  and  a  flourishing  school  established.  The 
church  property  as  a  whole  is  one  of  the  finest  in  the  county,  and  the 
congregation  is  in  the  best  condition  of  unity  and  strength.  In  July, 
19 16,  he  was  transferred  to  the  church  at  Greene,  Iowa.  Just  prior 
to  his  departure  he  was  the  recipient  of  signal  honors,  when  all  of  the 


386  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

citizens  of  Monona,  regardless  of  creed,  gathered  to  bid  him  Godspeed 
and  to  express  their  appreciation  of  his  twenty-three  years  of  splendid 
service.  His  broadmindedness  and  his  kindly  heart  endeared  him  to 
all  the  people.  The  city  park  was  the  scene  of  the  gathering  number- 
ing more  than  a  thousand  people.  A  union  choir  furnished  the  music, 
Mayor  Geo.  H.  Otis  presided  and  a  large  and  handsome  silver  loving 
cup,  and  other  gifts,  were  presented  to  him  in  an  eloquent  address  by 
Attorney  Delbert  W.  Meier. 

Among  the  other  churches  of  the  county  is  the  Cox  Creek  church, 
built  in  1875  at  the  cost  of  $2,000.  Rev.  M.  J.  Quirk  was  the  first 
pastor  and  it  was  through  his  efforts  that  the  church  was  built.  Serv- 
ices prior  to  that  time  were  held  in  private  houses.  Among  the 
priests  in  attendance  were  Fathers  Lynch,  McGinnis,  Nagel,  O'Brien, 
and  Quigley.  Michael  Carr  gave  the  land  upon  which  the  church  was 
built  and  among  those  active  in  erecting  the  church  were  James  Byrnes, 
E.  Ollinger,  B.  Dillon,  James  Ivory,  T.  Glenning  and  John  Dunn. 
Succeeding  pastors  were  Fathers  Coyle,  Hackett,  and  Rowe.  At  this 
time  the  church  of  Cox  Creek  served  the  people  of  the  southwestern 
part  of  the  county,  but  in  1878,  Father  Hackett  was  commissioned  by 
the  Bishop  to  organize  a  congregation  and  build  a  church  at  Straw- 
berry Point.  A  frame  church  thirty  by  sixty  was  complete  by  1879 
and  in  1880  a  parsonage  was  also  erected.  The  church  was  dedicated 
May  23d,  1880,  Rev.  Dr.  Dailey  of  Richardsville  delivering  the  sermon. 
Father  Hackett  was  succeeded  in  1881  by  Father  Rowe  who  had 
charge  of  the  churches  at  Strawberry  Point,  Greeley  and  Cox  Creek. 

The  church  at  Clayton  was  erected  in  1870  at  a  cost  of  $2,000. 
Until  1885  it  was  attended  from  Garnavillo.  From  that  date  to  1891 
it  was  attended  from  McGregor,  since  which  time  it  has  again  been 
dependent  on  Garnavillo.  The  Sacred  Heart  Church  of  Volga  was 
built  in  1898.  Rev.  John  Daly  was  the  first  resident  pastor,  under 
whose  pastorate  the  parsonage  was  added.  His  successors  were  Rev. 
Thos.  Campbell,  Rev.  M.  Erdley,  Rev.  Curran  and  Rev.  Garland. 
The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  A.  Hetherington  and  during  his  ten  years 
of  office  the  congregation  has  grown  numerically  and  financially.  The 
value  of  the  church  property  is  not  less  than  $15,000. 

The  church  at  Elkport  was  organized  by  Father  Michael  Lynch 
about  1850.  Services  at  first  were  held  at  residences  and  then  only  a 
few  times  a  year.  After  this  time  it  was  attended  from  Guttenberg 
by  Fathers  Schoulte  and  Massjost.  The  first  church  edifice  was  a 
frame  building  built  in  1863.  This  was  replaced  by  a  stone  structure 
in  1874  and  later  a  substantial  parsonage  was  added.  Father  Michael 
Gaul  laid  the  foundation  of  the  present  rock  church.  He  was  sue 
ceeded  by  Father  M.  J.  Quirk  who  was  the  first  resident  pastor  and 
who  completed  the  church  and  built  a  parochial  residence.  In  1875 
Rev.  B.  Coyle  was  appointed  his  successor.  For  nine  years  he  labored 
in  his  spiritual  calling  for  the  uplift  morally  and  religiously  of  all.  To 
all  he  was  a  debtor  that  to  all  he  might  be  a  benefit.  Tall,  slender, 
attractive  in  appearance,  gentle  in  his  manner  and  in  speech  most  clear 
and  persuasive,  his  ministration  was  most  successful  and  his  memory 
held  in  benediction.  He  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  J.  Fogarty  in  1882, 
by  Rev.  P.  Corbett  in  1884,  by  Rev.  M.  Shehan  in  1887,  by  Rev.  E. 


THE  CATHOLIC   CHURCH  OF   CLAYTON   COUNTY  387 

Dollard  in  1903  and  by  Rev.  D.  Minogue  in  1908.  Rev.  D.  Minogue 
is  still  its  pastor.  He  has  made  many  improvements  in  the  temporal 
affairs  of  the  congregation  but  no  one  of  them  can  be  enduring  because 
of  the  unfortunate  location  of  church  and  residence.  Situated  on  the 
bank  at  the  junction  of  Elk  creek  and  Turkey  river,  church  and  house 
have  frequently  suffered  great  damage  by  floods  and  inundations. 
The  muddy  waters  have  sometimes  entered  them  to  the  height  of  five 
or  more  feet.  He  is  seriously  thinking  of  applying  a  remedy  which 
w^ill  be  in  the  nature  of  selecting  a  new  location. 

The  church  of  Buena  Vista  is  a  recent  formation.  Until  1912  it 
had  been  attended  from  Holy  Cross,  Dubuque  county,  and  until  1915 
from  Dubuque,  In  191 5  a  parochial  residence  was  erected  and  now 
is  in  possession  of  Rev.  Father  Holthaus  as  resident  pastor. 

There  is  no  question  but  that  the  Catholic  church  of  the  county 
has  exerted  a  great  influence  for  good  and  that,  in  the  earnestness  and 
zeal  of  its  pioneer  missionaries  and  of  its  pastors  and  in  the  self  sacri- 
fice, devotion  and  generosity  of  its  people,  it  has  well  sustained  the 
great  heritage  which  it  received  at  the  hands  of  Pere  Marquette. 

Rev.  Thos.  Rowe  became  pastor  at  Strawberry  Point  in  July, 
1 88 1.  The  charge  comprised  Edgewood,  Greeley  and  Cox  Creek. 
Most  faithfully  did  he  serve  his  flock  down  to  the  time  of  his  death, 
which  occurred  in  July,  1904.  Not  alone  was  he  revered  by  those  of 
his  own  creed,  but  those  of  other  creeds  whose  fortune  it  was  to  know 
him,  will  transmit  to  other  generations  their  appreciation  of  him.  To 
his  efforts  many  of  the  material  improvements  that  these  several  mis- 
sions- now  possess  are  due.  He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  Hartigan. 
It  was  during  his  regime  that  there  occurred  those  regrettable  religious 
differences  which  disturbed  the  peace  of  the  county  for  a  time  but 
which  now,  fortunately,  have  yielded  before  a  broader  spirit  of 
Christian  charity  and  tolerance.  Rev.  Hartigan  remained  in  charge 
until  1914,  when  he  was  succeeded  in  rapid  succession  by  Fathers 
Ireland,  Reynolds  and  Casey.  Father  Casey  is  now  in  charge  and  by 
his  prudence  bids  fair  to  restore  harmony  and  fraternal  charity. 


.(LIU- 


CHAPTER  XVII 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  OF  SOME  OF  CLAYTON 
COUNTY'S  MOST  NOTED  MEN 

HON.    E.    H.    WILLIAMS — HON.    S.    MURDOCK HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE 

HON.  TIMOTHY  DAVIS — HORACE  D.  BRONSON — ELISHA  BOARDMAN — 
ALEXANDER  m'gREGOR — GOVERNOR  SAMUEL  MERRILL — ^MAJOR  E.  V. 
CARTER — ^DR.  SAMUEL  LITTLE HON.  M.  URIELL. 

IN  PRECEDING  chapters  mention  has  been  made  of  the  passing  of 
many  of  the  pioneers  and  well-known  figures  in  Clayton  county's 
history.  There  have  been  reserved  for  this  chapter,  however,  a  few 
more  lengthy  biographies  of  some  of  the  men  whom  the  county  has 
been  delighted  to  honor  and  who,  in  their  lives,  reflected  honor  upon 
it.  The  majority  of  these  sketches  were  written  by  loving  and  sorrow- 
ing friends  at  the  time  of  the  subject's  death,  and  they  have  been 
copied  just  as  written  at  the  time  by  those  who  knew  them  best.  They 
may  be  taken,  therefore,  as  Clayton  county's  own  tribute  to  its  own. 

Hon.  Elias  H.  Williams  was  bom  in  the  State  of  Connecticut,  on 
the  23d  day  of  July,  1819,  and  is  both  on  the  side  of  his  father  and 
mother  descended  from  a  long  line  of  noble  and  respectable  ances- 
tors, who  were  among  the  most  ardent  patriots  of  the  American  Revo- 
lution, and  who  suffered  greatly  from  the  raids  of  the  notorious  Arnold 
and  other  British  commanders  on  the  soil  of  Connecticut.  His  father 
died  when  he  was  quite  a  youth,  leaving  his  mother  to  take  care  of  and 
educate  her  children,  and  being  a  lady  of  talent  and  great  mental 
power,  she  determined  to  give  her  sons  a  first-class  education,  and  as 
soon  as  the  subject  of  this  sketch  was  of  proper  age  she  sent  him  to 
Yale  College,  where  she  kept  and  maintained  him  until  he  graduated 
with  the  highest  honors,  and  soon  after  receiving  his  diploma  he  spent 
one  year  in  New  Hampshire  as  a  teacher  of  languages ;  and  he  then 
made  a  journey  to  South  Carolina,  where  he  was  also  for  some  time 
engaged  in  teaching  and  reading  law ;  and  it  was  while  residing  here 
and  seeing  the  degrading  effects  of  human  slavery,  that  he  imbibed 
the  feeling  of  hatred  and  disgust  toward  that  institution,  that  shone 
forth  in  after  years  in  the  most  fervent  and  eloquent  speeches  for  its 
overthrow.  He  soon  found  that,  with  his  ideas  of  justice  and  human 
liberty,  South  Carolina  was  no  place  for  him,  and  hearing  of  the  new 
territory  whose  shores  were  washed  by  two  of  the  greatest  rivers  of 


390  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  globe,  he  turned  his  footsteps  toward  Iowa,  and  in  1846  he  arrived 
in  Clayton  county,  and  settled  at  Garnavillo. 

At  this  time  the  county  had  but  few  inhabitants ;  but  as  he  looked 
and  wandered  over  the  broad  and  fertile  prairies,  he  saw  that  these 
must  in  a  short  time  invite  the  emigrants,  and  be  settled  by  a  thriving 
and  industrious  population,  and  here  he  determined  to  make  his  future 
home.  In  addition  to  other  attainments,  he  had  acquired  a  fine  legal 
education,  and  he  soon  began  to  practice,  and  in  a  short  time  estab- 
lished a  good  practice  and  a  high  reputation  as  a  scholar  and  a  lawyer. 
The  practice  of  the  law  soon  proved  too  slow,  too  confining  and  too 
irksome  for  his  disposition,  and  being  possessed  of  an  iron  constitution, 
a  strong  physical  frame,  with  a  strong  desire  for  manual  exercise,  he 
left  his  profession,  entered  a  large  tract  of  land  near  Garnavillo,  and 
with  the  labor  of  his  own  hands  soon  converted  it  into  a  beautiful  and 
productive  farm.  On  this  farm  he  was  an  incessant  laborer,  and 
however  cold  or  stormy  might  be  the  day  or  the  hour,  he  could  be  seen 
at  his  work,  until  he  had  made  himself  a  competence,  and  provided  a 
good  home  for  his  widowed  mother  and  his  brothers  and  sisters ;  and 
though  elevations  and  honors  were  showered  upon  him  in  after  years, 
yet  it  is  doubtful  whether  they  brought  to  him  the  pride,  or  satisfaction 
that  he  enjoyed,  when  one  day  he  looked  over  the  beautiful  farm,  the 
work  of  his  own  hands,  saw  it  completed,  and  his  mother  and  brothers 
and  sisters  enjoying  themselves  in  ease  and  luxury  and  beyond  the 
reach  of  want.  Never  did  a  mother  idolize  a  son  more  than  that 
mother  did  him,  and  never  did  a  son  work  harder  or  later  to  gratify 
her  every  wish  and  comfort ;  and  when  all  the  surroundings  of  that 
once  happy  home  and  family  were  grouped  together,  it  presented  a 
picture  of  domestic  felicity  worthy  of  the  attention  of  the  philosopher, 
and  perhaps  the  highest,  the  greatest,  and  the  most  gratifying  the 
human  mind  is  capable  of  conceiving. 

In  1 85 1  he  was  elected  the  first  county  judge  under  the  new  sys- 
tem of  county  government,  and  this  not  only  included  all  the  county 
affairs,  but  the  probate  of  estates,  in  addition;  and  when  he  assumed 
the  duties  of  the  office  all  these  three  branches  of  county  aft'airs  were 
in  a  bad  and  deplorable  condition,  but  he  began  his  work  with  that 
determined  will  which  has  ever  characterized  him,  and  in  a  short  time 
he  paid  off  old  and  outstanding  debts,  levied  a  just  system  of  taxes, 
laid  out  new  roads  and  built  bridges,  and  at  the  end  of  four  years  he 
handed  over  to  his  successor  the  whole  county  government  in  a 
redeemed  and  prosperous  condition,  and  again  returned  to  his  farm, 
honored  and  respected  by  the  people  for  his  able  management  of  their 
public  affairs.  In  1849  ^e  was  married  in  his  native  State  to  Hannah 
Larabee,  sister  to  the  Hon.  William  Larabee,  of  Fayette  county,  and 
a  descendant  of  an  old  family  of  that  State,  who  took  an  active  part 
on  the  side  of  America  in  all  the  great  struggles  of  the  great  revolu- 
tion, and  this  amiable,  accomplished  and  talented  woman  has  been  his 
adviser,  his  comforter  and  helper  in  all  his  trials  and  hardships  for 
more  than  a  third  of  a  century.  Two  sons  and  two  daughters,  now 
grown  up  to  age  and  maturity  have  been  born  to  them,  and  these  chil- 
dren they  have  raised  and  educated  in  all  accomplishments  that 
the  county  and  money  could  afford. 


CLAYTON   county's   MOST   NOTED  MEN  39 1 

In  1858  he  was  elected  District  Judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  Dis- 
trict of  Iowa,  and  re-elected  again  in  1862,  and  during  these  eight  years 
he  presided  over  the  courts  of  the  district  with  credit  and  honor;  and 
it  was  here  that  he  gained  that  wide  reputation  through  the  state  which 
he  still  retains,  of  being  a  profound  jurist,  an  able  lawyer  and  a  finished 
scholar.  In  1870  he  was  appointed  by  the  Governor  of  Iowa,  Chief 
Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  State,  and  in  this  position  he 
served  but  a  short  time,  when  he  retired  from  law  and  politics,  to  turn 
his  attention  to  the  building  of  railroads;  but  while  on  the  supreme 
bench  his  written  opinions  and  judicial  decisions  were  models  of  learn- 
ing, brevity  and  research. 

Soon  after  leaving  the  supreme  bench  he  conceived  and  originated 
a  plan  for  the  construction  of  a  railroad  from  Dubuque,  along  the 
west  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river  to  St.  Paul,  with  the  main  branch 
up  and  along  the  valley  of  the  Turkey,  via  Mankato,  to  the  Northern 
Pacific  Railroad;  upon  announcing  his  scheme  to  the  public,  it  was 
looked  upon  as  visionary  and  impossible,  but  he  threw  the  full  force 
of  his  determined  will  and  character  into  the  scheme,  and  in  a  short 
time  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  being  the  first  man  to  break  ground  on 
the  enterprise  which  afterward  became  the  Chicago,  Dubuque  &  Min- 
nesota Railroad,  and  it  is  to  his  energy,  will  and  perseverance  that 
Northern  Iowa  and  Minnesota  are  indebted  for  that  magnificent  line 
of  road  that  follows  the  Father  of  Waters  from  Clinton  to  St.  Paul. 
To  avoid  heavy  grades,  as  well  as  to  shorten  the  route  from  Chicago 
and  Dubuque  to  the  great  Northwest,  his  plan  was  to  follow  the  valley 
of  the  Turkey  as  a  through  and  main  line,  but  in  this  he  was  over- 
ruled. Dubuque  lost  heavily  by  the  change,  and  the  road  still 
climbs  the  heavy  grades,  and  pursues  the  longest  and  most  unprofitable 
routes  to  the  same  points.  He  stayed  by  this  enterprise  until  he  saw 
it  completed  under  his  own  eyes  to  Guttenberg,  when  he  left  it,  and 
organized  the  'Towa  Eastern"  Narrow  Gauge  Company,  whose  pur- 
pose was  to  build  a  road  from  McGregor,  in  a  southwesterly  direction, 
through  Iowa's  coal  fields  to  the  Missouri.  His  energy  and  persever- 
ance soon  raised  the  desired  funds,  and  he  again  broke  ground  upon 
the  new  enterprise,  and  rapidly  pushed  it  forward  from  Beulah  for  a 
distance  of  sixteen  miles,  when  all  of  a  sudden  a  financial  panic  fell 
upon  the  country,  his  backers  failed,  and  he  was  left  to  struggle  as 
he  could  with  a  large  floating  debt  hanging  over  his  enterprise,  and 
its  creditors  pursuing  him  at  every  turn.  He  had  sold  his  beautiful 
farm  at  Garnavillo,  and  had  invested  the  proceeds  in  a  large  tract  of 
land  in  Grand  Meadow  Township,  and  this  he  had  soon  brought  to  a 
high  state  of  cultivation,  and  adorned  and  embellished  it  in  a  magnifi- 
cent manner,  and  this  fine  home  and  farm  he  put  in  jeopardy  to  save 
his  fair  name  and  fame  as  a  man  of  honor  and  integrity,  until  at  last 
he  found  himself  upon  the  very  verge  of  ruin  and  poverty. 

He  was  the  author,  the  originator  and  the  president  of  the  enter- 
prise and  when  the  crash  came,  with  all  its  terrible  eflfects,  its  credit- 
ors met  him  without  compassion  at  every  turn,  and  demanded  their 
full  share  from  the  ruins  of  a  blasted  enterprise ;  and,  to  add  to  his 
crushed  and  tender  feelings,  many  of  his  former  friends  deserted  him, 
and  left  him  to  struggle  alone  under  a  pressure  that  was  enough  to 


392  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

break  and  shatter  the  strongest  mind  ever  possessed  by  a  human 
being.  In  all  these  struggles  he  never  lost  sight  of  his  honor  and  integ- 
rity, and  he  made  every  effort,  offered  every  assurance  within  his 
power  and  command,  to  appease  and  stay  the  demands,  but  all  to  no 
purpose;  suit  after  suit  was  brought,  judgments,  with  multiplied  execu- 
tions were  issued,  and  his  own  private  property  seized  to  satisfy  the 
demands  against  the  company.  There  was  a  time  during  this  terrible 
pressure  upon  him  when  a  few  of  his  friends  might  have  come  to  his 
support,  and  by  even  their  countenances  and  assurances,  and  without 
the  aid  of  money,  could  have  given  such  confidence  to  his  enterprise, 
as  would  have  pushed  it  along  on  its  route,  every  mile  of  which  would 
have  restored  confidence,  allayed  the  demands  of  creditors,  paid  them 
in  the  end,  and  completed  the  enterprise ;  but  these  were  not  forth- 
coming, and  with  all  this  load  upon  his  shoulders,  he  kept  his  sixteen 
miles  of  road  in  good  condition,  and  through  storm  and  sunshine  his 
trains  made  their  regular  trips  along  the  route  with  their  freight  and 
passengers  until  the  present  season  when  he  sold  the  road  with  all  its 
franchises  and  incumbrances  to  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railroad  Company,  and  retired  once  more  to  his  farm. 

In  conjunction  with  his  brother  he  began  the  construction  of 
another  railroad  from  Lancaster,  Wis.,  running  in  a  northwesterly 
direction  to  Woodman  Junction  with  C.  M.  &  St.  P.  R.  R. ;  and  after 
completing  a  portion  of  the  road,  he  sold  out  his  interest,  and  from 
the  sales  of  both  roads  he  has  probably  saved  his  large  and  extensive 
farm,  which  still  leaves  him  a  competence,  and  a  peaceful  retreat  in  his 
declining  years.  When  the  Missouri  Compromise  was  repealed,  and 
the  South  had  threatened  to  plant  her  slave  colonies  on  free  soil,  he  was 
among  the  very  first  men  of  America  to  protest  against  the  encroach- 
ment, and  among  the  first  to  call  together  a  body  of  men  for  the  pur- 
pose of  forming  an  organization  against  the  demands  of  the  slave- 
holder's power,  and  from  that  day  to  the  present  he  has  stood  by  that 
organization.  As  a  profound  lawyer,  an  able  and  upright  judge,  as  a 
finished  scholar  and  a  public  man,  his  name  and  his  public  works  will 
ever  be  connected  with  the  history  of  the  State  and  his  county,  in  a 
high  and  in  an  honorable  manner;  and  as  he  has  still  many  years  of 
usefulness  before  him,  we  will  leave  him  in  the  hands  of  those  whom 
he  has  served  so  long  and  well,  to  do  him  more  ample  justice  in  the 
future. 

Hon.  Samuel  Murdoch — As  the  shades  of  night  began  to  gather 
at  5  o'clock  Tuesday  evening,  January  27,  1897,  the  light  of  life  de- 
parted from  Clayton  County's  grand  old  man,  Hon.  Samuel  Murdock, 
of  this  place.  On  Sunday,  November  i,  while  at  Buena  Vista,  where 
he  had  gone  to  make  a  political  address,  Mr.  Murdock  was  stricken 
with  paralysis.  He  came  home  the  next  day,  but  being  in  his  80th 
year,  there  has  been  constant  wearing  out  until  the  darkness  of  death 
closed  in  upon  the  eyes  of  one  of  the  brightest  brains  of  our  county. 
For  more  than  half  a  century  Mr.  Murdock  has  been  a  conspicuous 
personage  in  Iowa,  as  the  first  lawyer  of  our  county,  the  first  judge 
of  the  Tenth  Judicial  District,  and  as  being  one  of  the  few  survivors 
of  the  territorial  legislature  of  Iowa. 

His  parents  were  of  Scotch  ancestry,  but  were  born  in   County 


CLAYTON   COUNTY  S   MOST   NOTED  MEN  393 

Armagh,  Ireland.  They  emigrated  to  America  in  1812,  settling  near 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.  Here  near  the  scene  of  Braddock's  defeat  was  born 
the  subject  of  this  sketch,  March  13,  1817.  Ten  years  later  the  family 
moved  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  located  on  a  little  farm  in  the  town 
of  Rockport.  Here  it  was  that  the  boy  grew  to  manhood,  receiving 
such  education  as  the  common  schools  of  that  day  afforded,  although 
later  he  attended  a  two-year's  term  in  the  Cleveland  Academy.  After 
arriving  at  his  majority  he  taught  several  terms  of  school  in  Ohio. 
In  his  youthful  years  he  became  acquainted  with  the  Hon.  Reuben 
Wood,  at  that  time  one  of  the  supreme  judges  of  Ohio,  and  who 
afterwards  became  governor.  With  this  family  the  lad  lived  several 
years,  and  is  indebted  to  the  worthy  judge  for  many  of  his  early  lessons 
in  history  and  law.  In  the  fall  of  1841  he  left  Ohio  for  the  west,  going 
by  way  of  the  lakes  to  Chicago.  After  remaining  a  few  days  he 
started  out  to  cross  the  country  to  Rock  river,  sometimes  on  foot  and 
other  times  in  wagons  drawn  by  oxen.  On  reaching  Rock  river  he 
followed  it  to  Rock  Island,  and  then  crossed  the  Mississippi  to  the 
small  town  of  Davenport.  After  resting  a  few  days  to  recruit  his 
strength,  he  shouldered  his  pack  and  started  on  foot  across  the  country 
on  an  Indian  trail  most  of  the  way,  for  Iowa  City.  As  that  place  had 
been  fixed  as  the  future  capital  of  Iowa  the  young  man  determined  to 
make  his  abode  there,  and  was  soon  pursuing  his  study  in  the  law 
office  of  Bates  &  Harrison.  This  firm  dissolving  in  a  few  months  he 
entered  the  office  of  Hon.  Oilman  Folsome,  and  in  1842  he  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  Johnson  County. 

Before  finally  locating,  young  Murdock  determined  to  visit  Du- 
buque, having  letters  of  introduction  to  some  of  her  principal  citi- 
zens, among  them  Hons.  T.  S.  Wilson,  Stephen  Plempsted,  Timothy 
Davis  and  Thomas  Rogers,  all  of  whom  have  gone  to  another  shore. 
It  was  while  at  Dubuque  that  he  heard  of  the  rich  prairies  of  Clayton 
County,  and  starting  out  in  company  with  John  Thomas,  of  Prairie 
du  Chien  with  Dr.  Fred  Andros  as  guide,  he  arrived  at  Jacksonville, 
now  Garnavillo,  on  the  9th  day  of  August,  1843.  Taken  with  the  natural 
beauty  of  the  locality  he  determined  to  make  it  his  home,  and  with 
this  intention  staked  out  a  claim  one  and  a  half  miles  south  on  Section 
29.  This  farm  for  thirty-five  years  he  adorned  and  embellished  with 
the  fir,  the  spruce  and  the  pine,  and  from  their  numbers  and  luxurious 
growth,  the  farm  was  called  the  "Evergreens."  From  the  time  he 
began  work  on  this  farm  to  last  fall,  Judge  Murdock  has  been  with 
his  voice,  pen  and  labor  disseminating  useful  information  on  the  sub- 
jects of  agriculture  and  horticulture.  In  1845  ^^^  "^vas  united  in  mar- 
riage with  Miss  Louise  Patch,  who  had  come  to  the  county  from  New 
York  in  1837. 

Mr.  Murdock  was  the  first  lawyer  who  permanently  settled  north 
of  Dubuque,  and  during  his  long  residence  on  the  farm  he  maintained 
his  law  practice.  In  1845  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  territorial 
legislature  from  the  counties  of  Dubuque,  Delaware  and  Clayton,  and 
remained  in  that  body  until  Iowa  passed  into  a  state,  and  while  in  this 
body  was  mainly  instrumental  in  securing  for  the  state  her  present 
northern  boundary.  In  1848  he  was  elected  School  Fund  Commis- 
sioner, which  he  held  four  years,  during  which  time  he  sold  most  of 
the  school  lands,  consisting  of  Section  16  and  the  county's  portion  of 


394  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

the  500,000  acres  donated  for  school  purposes.  In  1855  he  was  elected 
the  first  district  judge  of  the  Tenth  Judicial  District,  which  at  that 
time  included  ten  counties,  and  in  several  of  these  counties  he  held 
the  first  courts,  and  through  this  large  district  he  traveled  twice  each 
year,  generally  on  horse  back,  swimming  rivers  and  wading  sloughs, 
and  accompanied  by  a  number  of  attorneys.  To  this  day  these  jour- 
neys form  the  theme  of  many  a  pleasing  story  among  the  older  members 
of  the  bar  of  Northern  Iowa.  During  the  war  he  visited  the  Gulf 
states  and  was  prominent  as  a  correspondent  of  several  Iowa  news- 
papers. In  1864  he  was  retained  as  an  attorney  for  Hon.  James 
Andrews,  of  Columbia,  Tenn.,  who  had  been  condemned  to  imprison- 
ment for  the  killing  of  a  soldier  of  a  Michigan  regiment.  Mr.  Murdock 
obtained  a  hearing  and  argued  the  case  before  President  Lincoln  and 
Mr.  Andrews  was  set  at  liberty. 

In  1869  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Thirteenth  General  As- 
sembly, in  which  he  distinguished  himself  in  a  speech  opposing  the 
repeal  of  the  death  penalty  for  the  crime  of  murder.  His  arguments 
have  since  been  proven  true  many  times  over.  In  the  summer  of 
1869  he  unearthed  the  "Hagerty  Murder,"  one  of  the  most  cruel  mur- 
ders of  modern  times,  in  which,  single-handed,  he  brought  to  light  no 
less  than  five  dead  bodies,  after  they  had  been  hidden  away  for  over 
eight  months,  and  he  pursued  the  murderer  until  he  lodged  him  in  the 
penitentiary  for  life.  Judge  Murdock  has  been  a  successful  lawyer 
and  has  been  on  one  side  or  the  other  in  the  most  important  cases  in 
our  courts  up  to  within  a  year  or  more. 

He  was  selected  by  the  governor  to  fill  Iowa's  department  of 
anthropolog}^  at  the  centennial,  and  although  the  notice  was  a  short 
one,  yet  in  a  few  months  he  collected  and  shipped  to  Philadelphia  some 
of  the  most  curious  and  wonderful  specimens  of  prehistoric  man  that 
had  ever  been  unearthed  on  this  continent.  Although  the  collection  was 
small  yet  it  received  from  the  historian  of  the  Centennial  the  only 
compliment  paid  to  Iowa  for  her  part  in  the  great  show.  Some  time 
in  1876  Judge  Murdock  sold  his  farm  at  Garnavillo  and  moved  to 
Elkader,  forming  a  law  partnership  with  the  late  John  Larkin  which 
continued  for  several  years.  On  September  11,  1895,  Judge  and  Mrs. 
Murdock  celebrated  their  golden  wedding,  at  which  many  friends  tes- 
tified to  their  feelings  of  honor  and  respect  to  the  venerable  judge  and 
his  companion. 

Hon.  Eliphalet  Price. — I  first  met  Eliphalet  Price  in  early  life 
upon  the  border,  where  the  civilized  and  savage  commingled  to  pursue 
a  common  road,  and  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century  he  was  my 
neighbor  and  my  friend,  and  what  I  have  here  to  say  over  past  life 
is  but  a  tribute  I  owe  to  his  distinguished  worth.  He  saw  the  country 
from  the  great  lakes  to  the  Pacific  Ocean  a  barren  wilderness,  and 
peopled  alone  by  the  hunter  and  the  savage,  and  he  saw  the  same 
territory  rapidly  converted  into  states  and  farms  and  fertile  gardens ; 
and  establishing  over  all  a  government  and  a  civilization  based  upon  the 
principles  of  exact  justice  and  self-government,  the  greatest  and  per- 
haps the  grandest  the  world  ever  saw.  In  nearly  all  of  this  develop- 
ment of  empire,  of  human  progress,  settlement  and  western  civiliza- 
tion, with  all  their  attendant  excitements,  turmoils  and  passions,  our 


CLAYTON   COUNTY  S   MOST  NOTED  MEN  395 

old  friend  was  an  ever  constant,  prominent  and  untiring  worker,  and 
to  write  the  history  of  such  a  man,  to  do  justice  to  his  name  and 
memory,  and  to  carry  him  through  all  the  varied  scenes  and  struggles 
of  the  last  half  century  of  western  life,  in  which  he  was  connected, 
would  require  volumes. 

He  was  born  in  Jersey  City,  in  the  state  of  Xew  Jersey,  on  the 
31st  day  of  January,  1811,  and  as  he  grew  up  he  received  from  his 
father  the  rudiments  of  a  common  education,  and  when  about  eight- 
een years  of  age  his  father  took  him  to  New  York  City  and  bound  him 
as  an  apprentice  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  painter.  This  old  relic  of 
feudal  times,  called  master  and  servant,  still  forms  one  of  the  chapters 
of  the  law  of  "domestic  relations,"  and  although  it  has  nearly  vanished 
from  western  civilization,  it  still  clings  with  force  to  the  institutions  of 
the  older  states,  and  at  the  time  of  which  we  speak  it  was  in  its  full 
force  and  rigor  in  the  state  and  city  of  Xew  York,  and  as  often  made 
the  pretense  for  the  very  worst  acts  of  tyranny  and  oppression  by  the 
master  over  the  apprentice.  Here,  however,  was  a  field  for  the  genius 
of  our  friend  and  he  soon  accomplished  a  thorough  organization  of  all 
the  apprentices  of  the  city  into  a  strong  society,  with  a  constitution 
and  by-laws  that  taught  the  most  tyrannical  master  that  they  had  rights 
which  he  was  bound  to  respect.  This  society  soon  raised  a  sum  of 
money  with  which  they  purchased  a  fine  library  of  all  the  leading 
works  of  that  day,  and  it  was  here  that  our  old  friend  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  that  classical  and  historical  knowledge  which  made  him  famous 
in  after  years  as  a  writer  and  a  scholar  of  no  ordinary  capacity. 
Vicissitude  and  misfortune,  however,  overtook  his  old  master  and  he 
absolved  young  Price  from  his  indenture,  and  this  threw  him  upon  the 
world  to  make  his  own  way  through  life. 

About  the  beginning  of  the  year  1831  he  arrived  in  the  city  of 
Philadelphia,  and  became  the  local  editor  of  a  paper  called  the  Market 
Exchange,  and  in  this  capacity  he  soon  brought  himself  into  notice  by 
his  witty  and  spicy  articles,  many  of  which  are  more  witty  and  mirthful 
than  those  of  Ward  or  Nasby.  But  he  soon  tired  of  this  work,  and, 
looking  over  for  wider  fields  for  his  talent,  in  the  fall  of  that  year  he 
repaired  to  Washington  city.  He  left  Washington  some  time  in 
1832,  with  the  design  of  seeing  the  far  west  and  exploring  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi;  traveled  on  foot  to  Pittsburgh,  and  after  recruiting  his 
wearied  limbs,  embarked  on  a  steamer  for  Cincinnati.  After  remaining 
in  this  city  for  a  short  time  he  took  passage  on  a  steamer  for  New 
Orleans,  and  when  he  arrived  in  the  latter  city  he  found  a  large 
number  of  its  inhabitants  stricken  down  with  cholera.  Here  for  the 
first  time  since  he  left  New  York  he  found  himself  among  strangers, 
without  a  cent  in  his  pocket,  with  a  dangerous  and  fatal  disease  raging 
around  him.  He  repaired  to  the  wharf  in  hopes  of  finding  some  craft 
that  would  take  him  beyond  the  limits  of  that  scourge.  At  the  wharf 
he  found  a  steamer  with  her  clerk  on  shore  checking  goods  that  were 
being  shipped  upon  her,  and  upon  inquiry  the  clerk  informed  him  that 
they  were  loading  for  the  lead  mines  of  Galena,  and  requested  him  to 
take  his  place  at  the  plank  and  check  for  him  a  few  moments  while  he 
procured  a  little  medicine  from  a  neighboring  drug  store. 

This  he  gladly  did,  and  very  soon  the  captain  of  the  boat  came 


39^  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

along  and  discovered  that  his  clerk  was  absent  and  a  new  man  in  his 
place,  when  he  immediately  followed  his  clerk  to  the  drug  store,  only  to 
find  that  he  had  just  died  of  the  fearful  disease.  Returning  in  a  few 
moments  to  his  boat  he  immediately  engaged  the  services  of  our 
lamented  friend  as  his  clerk  for  the  trip.  Never  was  a  service  more 
gladly  accepted  or  more  faithfully  performed,  and  in  due  time  we 
find  our  young  friend  in  Galena  looking  about  for  some  vocation  that 
would  give  him  a  living.  But  to  him  in  his  youthful  days,  "fields 
always  looked  greener  when  they  were  far  away,"  and  he  turned  his 
steps  toward  Iowa,  arriving  in  Dubuque  some  time  in  the  fall  of  1832. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  on  the  21st  of  September,  1832,  the  Sac 
and  Fox  Indians  had  ceded  to  the  United  States  a  strip  of  land  abotft 
fifty  miles  wide,  extending  from  the  Missouri  to  Little  Iowa.  This 
treaty  was  to  take  effect  on  the  first  day  of  June,  1833,  but  as  soon  as 
the  terms  of  it  were  known  hundreds  of  men  rushed  across  the  great 
river,  took  up  claims  and  began  prospecting  in  the  lead  mines  of 
Dubuque.  The  Indians  protested  against  this  inroad,  and  General 
Zac.  Taylor,  who  was  the  commanding  officer  at  Fort  Crawford,  and 
who  was  afterward  elected  President  of  the  United  States,  was 
ordered  to  proceed  to  the  purchase  and  drive  out  the  settlers.  This 
order  he  executed  to  the  letter,  and  our  old  friend  with  others  was 
compelled  to  leave  the  territory.  Like  all  the  others,  he  hung  upon 
the  border,  and  on  the  expiration  of  the  time  he  returned  to  Dubuque, 
and  was  among  the  first  white  men  who  made  a  legal  settlement 
within  the  limits  of  what  is  now  the  great  State  of  Iowa. 

In  the  fall  of  1834  he,  in  company  with  a  party  of  hunters, 
explored  the  valley  of  the  Turkey,  and  being  enraptured  with  its 
romantic  scenery,  its  rich  and  fertile  prairies  and  its  rippling  stream, 
he  determined  to  make  the  valley  his  future  and  permanent  home. 
Returning  to  Dubuque  to  fulfill  a  contract  he  had  entered  into  with 
Father  Alazzuchelli  to  build  for  him  a  Catholic  church,  he  again,  in 
the  fall  of  1835,  returned  to  the  valley  of  the  Turkey,  and,  in  company 
with  C.  S.  Edson,  a  person  well  known  to  old  settlers  of  Clayton,  spent 
the  first  winter  near  the  town  now  called  Osterdock.  In  the  winter 
of  1836  a  Mr,  Finly  erected  a  sawmill  on  the  Little  Turkey,  near  the 
present  town  of  Millville.  He  shortly  afterward  sold  out  his  mill  and 
his  claim  to  Robert  Hetfield  and  Mr.  Price.  In  the  erection  of  this 
pioneer  sawmill,  Joseph  Quigley,  still  living  in  Highland,  was  the 
millwright,  and  Luther  Patch,  still  living  and  now  residing  in  Elkader, 
was  the  saw3^er.  After  a  time  Price  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  mill, 
selected  for  himself  a  beautiful  and  fertile  tract  of  land  on  the  north 
side  of  the  Turkey,  about  five  miles  from  Millville,  and  on  this  he  built 
his  cabin. 

In  1839  he  married  Miss  Mary  D.  Cottle,  a  lady  of  culture,  educa- 
tion, and  refinement,  and  his  equal  in  liberality  and  hospitality.  Here 
upon  his  farm  they  raised  a  family  of  eight  children,  five  of  whom  are 
still  living.  Two  of  these,  R.  E.  and  T.  C.  Price,  now  reside  in 
Elkader ;  another  son  is  now  the  postmaster  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo., 
and  still  another  resides  in  San  Jose,  Cal.  One  of  his  sons  fell  at  the 
battle  of  Tupelo,  and  another  son,  a  major  of  the  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry, 
was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Fort  Donelson  and  afterward  died  of 


CLAYTON   county's   MOST   NOTED  MEN  397 

his  wounds.  His  amiable  wife  died  in  1865  and  he  never  married 
again,  but  with  his  youngest  daughter,  who  still  lives  in  Colorado,  he 
kept  the  younger  portion  of  his  household  together  to  the  last.  During 
his  long  residence  of  thirty-eight  years  in  our  county  he  always  took 
an  active  and  prominent  part  in  State  and  county  politics,  and  in  the 
management  and  organization  of  parties  he  had  no  peer  in  the  State 
of  Iowa.  In  early  times  he  was  an  ardent  Whig,  but  upon  the  repeal 
of  the  Missouri  Compromise  he  threw  his  whole  soul  and  action  into 
the  Republican  party,  and  was  among  the  very  first,  with  voice  and 
pen,  to  arouse  the  people  against  the  strides  and  encroachments  of  the 
slaveholder.  When  the  rebellion  broke  out  he  took  an  active  part  in 
the  organization  of  military  companies,  encouraged  his  sons  to  draw 
the  sword,  and  from  the  beginning  to  the  end  of  the  great  war  his 
voice  and  pen  was  never  idle  in  the  cause  of  the  Union. 

In  1845  he  wrote  and  published  the  thrilling  and  melancholy  story 
of  the  "Mysterious  Grave,"  founded  upon  no  fact  whatever,  and  from 
the  statement  that  these  words,  "Erin,  an  exile,  bequeaths  thee  his 
blessing,"  was  found  in  the  grave,  the  story  was  copied  into  Irish  papers, 
and  many  a  poor  Irish  mother  wept  over  it  as  perhaps  the  grave  of  a 
lost  and  wandering  son.  But  perhaps  his  most  successful  story,  one 
that  called  forth  the  greatest  and  most  numerous  encomiums,  and  one 
that  was  read  at  every  camp  fire  in  the  army,  and  in  every  cottage 
wherever  the  English  language  was  spoken,  is  the  "Drummer  Boy." 
It  was  published  in  the  Chicago  Daily  Tribune,  and  for  tenderness  of 
expression,  for  ingenuity  of  theme,  for  elegance  of  style  and  diction, 
for  converting  the  ideal  into  reality,  for  chaining  the  reader's  attention 
and  calling  from  him  emotions  of  sympathy  and  patriotism,  for  the 
ease  of  deception  and  for  its  perfect  and  consummate  delusion,  it  is 
his  masterpiece.  No  one  doubted  but  that  the  story  was  true,  and  the 
poor  little  "Drummer  Boy,"  like  Charlie  Ross,  was  found  in  every 
village  and  hamlet  in  the  land. 

He  took  an  active  part  in  the  organization  of  Clayton  County,  and 
held  the  first  justice  court  within  its  limits.  He  was  the  first  clerk  of 
the  Board  of  Clayton  County  Commissioners,  was  elected  the  first 
School  Fund  Commissioner,  and  served  one  term  as  a  Judge  of  Pro- 
bate. In  1850  he  took  the  United  States  census  of  the  counties  of 
Clayton,  Fayette,  Winneshiek  and  Allamakee. 

In  1850  he  was  elected  from  the  counties  of  Clayton,  Fayette, 
Winneshiek  and  Allamakee  to  the  State  Legislature,  and  it  was  at  this 
session  that  he  brought  himself  into  notice  as  one  of  the  most  skillful 
and  sagacious  politicians  of  the  State.  He  took  an  active  part  in  this 
Legislature,  in  the  organization  of  the  school  system  of  the  State,  and 
to  his  actions  and  suggestions  we  are  today  indebted  for  some  of  our 
best  laws  relating  to  schools.  For  many  successive  terms  he  was 
elected  Governor  of  the  Lobby,  and  that  body  received  from  him  an 
annual  message,  that  for  keen  wit  and  withering  sarcasm  has  never 
been  excelled. 

In  1852  he  was  appointed  by  President  Fillmore  as  receiver  of  the 
land  office  at  Des  Moines,  and  held  the  office  during  that  administra- 
tion. In  1855  he  was  elected  Judge  of  the  County  Court  of  Clayton 
County,  and  held  the  office  for  two  years.     During  his  term  in  this 


398  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

office  he  resurveyed  the  roads  of  the  county,  established  guide  posts 
and  mile  posts  among  them,  remodeled  the  county  records,  and  gave 
names  to  the  streams  and  townships.  When  his  term  expired  he  had 
the  satisfaction  of  seeing  his  county's  records  and  her  finances  estab- 
lished on  a  safe  and  permanent  basis,  to  become  a  foundation  for  those 
who  followed  him  for  all  time.  He  left  every  official  position  that  he 
ever  occupied  with  clean  hands,  and  with  a  reputation  for  honesty, 
capability  and  fairness.  In  the  fall  of  1864  he  followed  the  brave 
General  Hatch  through  all  his  military  raids  in  Mississippi,  and  was  an 
eyewitness  of  all  the  battles  and  skirmishes  this  general  had  with  the 
rebel  General  Forrest. 

He  was  for  many  years  the  president  of  the  Old  Settlers  and 
Pioneers'  Association  of  the  county,  organized  the  first  meeting,  and 
delivered  before  it  one  of  the  finest  and  most  eloquent  speeches  of  his 
lifetime.  Long  before  any  railroad  had  reached  any  part  of  the  great 
west,  he  called  the  people  of  the  county  together  at  a  mass  meeting 
in  Guttenberg,  to  discuss  the  propriety  of  giving  aid  to  a  railroad  from 
the  Atlantic  to  the  Pacific,  and  in  his  opening  speech  before  that  meet- 
ing he  declared  with  the  most  prophetic  vision  that  he  would  live  to 
see  Clayton  County  checkered  with  railroads,  and  this  he  accomplished 
with  some  years  to  spare.  Shortly  after  this  meeting  he  made  another 
speech  to  a  few  of  the  old  settlers  at  Littleport,  in  which  he  said : 
"There  are  men  in  this  audience,  as  well  as  myself,  who  will  live  to  see 
a  railroad  passing  up  the  Volga,"  and  after  the  road  up  this  stream 
was  completed  he  wrote  to  the  author  of  this  article  from  Colorado 
saying  in  reference  to  it:  "My  dream  is  fulfilled,  my  prophecy  has 
come  to  pass,  and  my  mission  will  soon  be  ended,  but  Clayton  County, 
hail !" 

One  can  hardly  realize  that  giant  form  that  towered  among  us  so 
long,  that  mingled  in  all  our  conventions,  railroad  meetings,  county  seat 
courts,  balls,  parties  and  routs,  is  gone  forever,  and  that  his  voice  and 
pen,  which  once  stirred  the  thoughts  and  hearts  of  thousands,  are  now 
silent  forever.  Kind,  courteous  and  social  to  all,  whether  rich  or  poor, 
his  sympathies  were  aroused  to  the  highest  pitch  at  distress  and  sorrow, 
and  he  was  at  your  service,  while  his  money  flowed  like  water.  The 
priest  and  the  layman,  the  tramp  and  the  trader,  the  lawyer  and  the 
farmer,  the  rich  and  the  poor,  all  found  a  home  and  a  resting  place  at 
his  house  and  a  seat  at  his  table.  Ill  health  at  last  forced  him  to  take 
refuge  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  in  the  year  1872  he  sold  his  hom.e- 
stead,  took  the  younger  members  of  the  family,  and  departed  for 
Colorado,  leaving  behind  him  the  scenes  of  his  early  triumphs,  ex- 
ploits, associations  and  hardships,  upon  which  his  eyes  were  never  to 
rest  again.  In  Colorado  he  began  the  same  career  which  characterized 
him  in  his  early  days  in  Clayton  County,  and  with  the  vigor  of  his 
youth  he  visited  the  camps  of  her  miners,  ascended  her  highest  moun- 
tains, looked  down  upon  her  widespread  plains,  and  wuth  his  voice 
and  pen  contributed  to  add  to  her  greatness  and  her  resources.  But 
old  age  and  disease  were  fast  destroying  his  stalwart  frame,  and  when 
the  fatal  hour  had  come  his  death  was  like  the  blowing  out  of  a  candle. 

Hon.  Timothy  Davis. — This  well-known  pioneer  of  Clayton  County 
was  born  in  Utica,  N.  Y.,  in  1794.     His  parents  had  emigrated  thither 


CLAYTON   COUNTY  S   MOST  NOTED  MEN  399 

and  carved  out  a  home  among  the  wilds  of  that  then  new  country.  It 
was  then  that  Mr.  Davis  acquired  those  habits  of  industry  and  fru- 
gahty  which  ever  accompanied  him  through  hfe.  Inheriting  a  strong 
physical  constitution,  and  imbued  in  early  life  with  pluck  and  energy, 
he  was  well  prepared  in  after  life  to  meet  and  battle  with  the  world. 
While  yet  a  young  man  he  left  his  native  State,  and  after  traversing 
much  of  this  western  country,  he  settled  in  the  town  of  West  Madrid, 
Mo.,  but  afterward  removed  to  St.  Genevieve,  Mo.,  at  that  time  the 
capital  of  Louisiana  Territory,  embracing  all  of  the  country  west  of 
the  lakes.  St.  Louis  at  that  time  was  a  small  village  compared  with 
St.  Genevieve. 

At  St.  Genevieve  Mr.  Davis  began  the  practice  of  law,  a  profession, 
for  which  he  was  evidently  well  calculated.  Here  he  married,  in  1823, 
Miss  Nancy  Wilson,  and  here  his  oldest  son,  L.  V.  Davis,  was  born. 
After  several  years'  residence  at  St.  Genevieve,  during  which  time  he 
took  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  politics  of  the  day,  he  removed  to 
St.  ]\Iary's,  a  town  which  he  had  himself  laid  out,  where  he  remained 
until  his  removal  to  Dubuque  in  1836.  While  in  Missouri  he  was  a 
candidate  for  the  legislature  on  the  Whig  ticket,  but  that  party  being  in 
the  minority,  he  was  defeated.  A  like  fate  befell  him  some  years 
after,  when  he  was  nominated  by  his  party  at  Dubuque  for  a  similar 
position.  He  was  then  thoroughly  conversant,  as  he  was  up  to  the 
time  of  his  death,  with  the  political  questions  of  the  day,  and  his 
acknowledged  abilities  as  a  speaker  and  debater  made  him  sought  for 
on  all  public  occasions. 

One  of  the  principal  events  of  his  life,  and  one  to  which  his 
friends  point  with  pride,  was  on  the  occasion  of  the  timber  suits  in 
1850,  the  particulars  of  which  the  old  residents  well  remember.  A 
number  of  settlers  had  been  indicted  and  arrested  for  cutting  timber 
on  Government  lands,  and  Mr.  Davis,  assisted  by  Piatt  Smith,  Esq., 
of  Dubuque,  defended  the  cause  of  the  settlers.  It  was  a  matter  in 
which  everybody  in  the  Northwest  was  deeply  interested.  Almost 
everybody,  including  prominent  men,  made  a  practice  of  cutting  and 
using  Government  timber,  and  it  may  well  be  imagined  that  when  the 
prosecutions  began  there  was  an  intense  excitement  that  pervaded  not 
only  Dubuque  but  the  entire  Northwest.  Indignation  meetings  were 
held  and  the  newspapers  were  filled  with  exciting  discussions  on  the 
subject.  Mr.  Davis  rose  to  the  full  appreciation  of  his  task  as  an 
attorney  and  as  a  defender  of  the  rights  of  the  people.  In  his  speech 
on  the  occasion  he  referred  to  the  injustice  of  the  prosecutions  in  the 
most  impressive  and  pathetic  manner,  and  when  he  alluded  to  the  fact 
that  the  Government  would  have  to  tear  up  the  floors  of  the  business 
houses,  the  seats  in  the  churches  and  school  houses  and  even  the 
boards  of  which  the  coffins  had  been  made,  and  which  were  constructed 
of  timber  taken  from  Government  land,  he  certainly  struck  the  most 
tender  cord  of  popular  sentiment;  and  the  result  was  an  entire  acquit- 
tal of  the  arrested  parties,  and  immense  rejoicings  among  the  sturdy 
old  settlers  in  which  Mr,  Davis  was  rightly  the  hero  of  the  day.  Mr. 
Davis  was  engaged  in  many  other  important  suits,  among  which  were 
several  mining  cases  which  excited  equal  interest  and  made  him 
conspicuous  among  the  bar  of  the  country. 


400  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

In  1857  he  was  nominated  for  Congress  by  the  RepubHcan  party 
and  elected  by  a  handsome  majority.  The  State  was  then  divided 
into  but  two  Congressional  districts,  and  Mr.  Davis  had  a  large  con- 
stituency to  represent.  Though  then  advanced  in  years  he  was  a  promi- 
nent member  of  the  House,  and  his  voice  and  vote  was  ever  on  the 
right  side.  He  had  been  an  ardent  Whig,  but  when  that  party  dissolved 
and  the  encroachments  of  the  slave  power  rallied  the  Republican  party 
of  the  North  into  existence  he  became  one  of  its  first  adherents,  and 
firmly  and  steadfastly  defended  the  cause  of  freedom.  Mr.  Davis, 
however,  was  not  a  mere  politician.  He  identified  himself  with  all 
the  substantial  interests  of  the  country,  and  a  full  sketch  of  his  life 
would  contain  a  history  of  Northern  Iowa.  The  settlement  and  devel- 
opment of  Elkader  originated  with  him.  He  was  on  a  political  tour 
through  Clayton  in  1845,  ^"^  ^^^  come  to  Turkey  River,  to  the  present 
townsite  of  Elkader,  where  he  found  Elisha  Boardman,  who  showed 
him  the  magnificent  water  power  and  the  beautiful  townsite.  Im- 
pressed with  its  beauty  and  importance,  he  returned  to  Dubuque  and 
soon  after  laid  the  matter  before  Messrs.  Thompson  and  Sage,  the 
latter  of  whom  was  sent  up  by  Mr.  Thompson  to  inspect  the  mill  site. 
He  returned  equally  pleased  with  it,  and  the  result  was  that  the 
property  was  bought  of  Mr.  Boardman,  and  the  building  of  the  mill 
began  the  following  year.  The  honor  of  naming  the  town  fell  to 
Mr.  Davis.  At  that  time  there  was  great  excitement  about  the  exploits 
of  the  Arabian  chief,  Abdel  Kader,  and  being  an  admirer  of  that 
daring  chieftain,  Mr.  Davis  named  this  place  Elkader.  He  was  identi- 
fied with  its  interests  up  to  the  time  of  his  death.  To  him  it  was 
always  the  best  place  in  the  State.  It  had  the  best  mill,  the  best 
stores,  the  best  society  and  the  best  newspapers.  He  was  always  a 
warm  defender  when  Elkader  was  assailed,  and  he  lived  to  see  the 
home  of  his  adoption  rise  from  the  wilderness  to  one  of  the  most 
important  towns  north  of  Dubuque.  In  1854  he  removed  from  Du- 
buque to  Elkader,  remaining  there  till  1857,  but  after  the  death  of 
Mrs.  Davis,  in  the  spring  of  that  year,  he  returned  to  Dubuque.  In  the 
fall  of  1857  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Jane  B.  O'Farrell,  with  whom  he 
lived  happily  until  his  death.  A  few  years  after  his  second  marriage, 
he  determined  that  he  could  not  stay  away  from  Elkader,  so  he  moved 
back,  built  himself  a  fine  residence,  and  passed  his  last  years  in  the 
sunshine  of  his  old  friends  and  amidst  those  nearest  and  dearest 
to  him. 

He  died  Sunday,  April  27,  1872.  He  was  sitting  on  the  porch  of 
his  residence,  engaged  in  a  lively  conversation  with  John  Thompson, 
his  surviving  partner,  joking  and  laughing  with  him  over  old  remi- 
niscences, when  he  suddenly  fell  back  in  his  chair,  threw  up  his  hands 
with  an  exclamation  of  "Oh !"  and  immediately  expired.  Mr.  Thomp- 
son held  him  in  the  chair  until  the  family  came  to  his  assistance,  and 
with  their  aid  carried  him  into  the  house.  The  funeral  ceremonies  took 
place  the  following  Tuesday,  and  a  large  concourse  of  people  followed 
his  remains  to  the  grave.  The  business  houses  were  all  closed  and 
sorrow  pervaded  the  whole  community.  He  lived  a  life  of  usefulness 
to  himself  and  fellow  men,  and  was  an  active  worker  for  the  develop- 
ment and  prosperity  of  his  country.    The  State  lost  in  him  one  of  her 


CLAYTON   COUNTY  S   MOST   NOTED   MEN  4OI 

choicest  intellects,  the  community  an  exemplary  citizen,  and  his  be- 
reaved wife  and  children  an  affectionate  husband  and  kind  father, 

Horace  D.  Bronson. — Horace  D.  Bronson  was  born  at  Chatham, 
Conn.,  December  25,  1797.  When  he  was  quite  young  his  parents 
moved  to  Vermont.  He  was  married  at  an  early  age  to  an  estimable 
lady  of  New  York.  Shortly  after  his  marriage  he  removed  with  his 
family  and  effects  to  Canada,  and  there  kept  a  hotel  for  a  number  of 
years.  At  the  age  of  thirty-nine  he  and  his  old  friend,  Elisha  Board- 
man,  came  to  the  State  of  Iowa,  then  the  Territory  of  Wisconsin. 
Here  in  the  valley  of  Turkey  River,  "Uncle"  Bronson  and  Elisha 
Boardman  made  claim  to  a  large  tract  of  government  land  and  laid 
out  the  site  for  the  town  of  Elkader. 

The  old  house  that  formerly  stood  where  the  depot  building  now 
stands  and  an  old  house  torn  down  in  1870  that  stood  near  the  house 
of  P.  Garaghty  were  built  by  these  two  pioneers,  and  for  many  years 
served  as  dwelling  places  for  them,  and  as  places  of  refuge  from 
troubles  by  Indians  for  many  a  pale-faced  adventurer.  Uncle  Bronson 
was  known  for  miles  around,  and  noted  for  his  kindness  and  hospitality, 
even  among  the  Indians.  In  1838  he  prevailed  on  his  parents  to  move 
hither,  but  shortly  after  their  arrival  his  father  was  delivered  from 
all  troubles  and  dangers  by  the  hand  of  death,  and  was  buried  in 
the  neighborhood  of  Garnavillo.  His  mother  survived  the  death  of 
her  husband  some  eight  years,  and  then  she,  too,  followed  him  to  the 
grave.  At  death  they  were  both  very  old  people.  When  Uncle  Bron- 
son had  arrived  at  the  age  of  fifty-eight  years  his  wife  died. 

For  fifteen  or  twenty  years  Mr.  Bronson  was  coroner  of  the 
county,  and,  strange  to  say,  he  was  sometimes  elected  to  office  by  one 
party  and  sometimes  by  the  other,  party  politics  never  affecting  him 
in  the  least.  He  died  at  the  residence  of  his  daughter,  Mrs.  Tupper, 
Wednesday,  April  19,  1876,  at  the  age  of  seventy-nine  years.  For  many 
months  previous  to  his  death  he  had  suffered  with  lung  trouble,  at- 
tended with  a  distressing  cough;  this,  together  with  the  infirmities 
incident  to  old  age,  released  him  from  the  troubles  and  cares  of  life, 
and  his  spirit  has  gone  to  that  bourne  beyond  the  waters.  A  large 
concourse  of  citizens  paid  the  last  token  of  respect  to  his  memory  by 
following  his  remains  to  their  final  resting  place  the  day  of  the  funeral. 
The  services  were  held  in  the  Universalist  church,  Rev.  Henry  Gifford, 
an  old  pioneer  friend  of  the  deceased,  officiating.  And  thus  passed 
away  another  landmark  of  the  early  history  of  Clayton  County,  a 
pioneer  who  was  here  at  the  beginning,  when  it  "tried  men's  souls" 
to  battle  with  the  hardships  they  had  to  encounter  in  effecting  the  early 
settlements  that  were  the  foundation  of  the  glorious  State  of  Iowa, 

Elisha  Boardman. — This  early  pioneer  of  Clayton  County  and 
Boardman  Township  was  born  at  Princeton,  Conn.,  October  25,  1781, 
six  days  after  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis  at  Yorktown,  amidst  the 
rejoicing  of  the  American  colonies.  When  quite  young  his  parents 
died,  and  he  went  to  live  with  his  grandparents,  where  he  remained 
until  sixteen  years  old.  Then,  with  an  older  brother,  he  went  tq 
Grand  Isle,  Vt.,  where,  by  his  untiring  energy  and  industry,  he  accumu- 
lated considerable  property,  married  an  estimable  woman,  and  had  a 
daughter  born  to  him.    At  the  age  of  about  fifty  his  wife  died.     He 


402  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

never  married  again.  The  daughter  married  a  man  of  the  same  name, 
had  two  children,  and  then  died.  Now,  left  alone,  Mr.  Boardman  in- 
vested a  large  share  of  his  property  in  the  lumber  business  in  Canada 
with  H.  D.  Bronson.  He  got  together  over  a  million  feet  of  lumber 
in  the  St.  Lawrence  river,  and  started  for  market.  In  a  violent  storm 
all  was  wrecked.  He  lost  every  foot  of  his  lumber.  Returning  to  his 
old  Grand  Isle  home,  with  his  property  nearly  all  gone,  he  concluded 
that  the  star  empire  was  westward.  With  his  friend  Bronson  he  came 
to  Green  Bay,  Wis.,  whence  he  went  to  Chicago.  Here,  in  specu- 
lation with  sharpers,  he  lost  $300  of  his  hard  earnings.  Returning 
to  Green  Bay,  to  his  friend  Bronson,  they  held  counsel  and  concluded 
to  follow  the  star  still  further  westward.  Falling  in  company  with  a 
Mr.  Hastings,  they  procured  two  yokes  of  oxen  and  a  wagon,  with 
which  Mr.  Bronson  and  family  started  across  the  country  for  Prairie 
du  Chien.  Mr.  Boardman  and  Mr.  Hastings  went  to  the  head  waters 
of  Wisconsin  River,  there  dug  out  a  canoe,  and  sailed  down  the  Mis- 
sissippi and  over  to  Iowa.  This  was  in  1836,  soon  after  the  Black 
Hawk  war.  Each  intent  on  securing  a  mill  site,  came  to  Turkey 
river.  Hastings  found  a  good  site  at  the  mouth  of  Otter  creek, 
where  the  town  of  Elgin  now  stands  and  commenced  the  erection  of  a 
sawmill.  He  soon  was  driven  off,  finding  himself  on  the  Indian  reser- 
vation. Mr.  Boardman  came  down  to  where  Elkader  now  stands, 
made  his  claim  and  built  his  cabin  where  the  depot  now  stands.  Here 
he  and  his  old  friend  Bronson  lived  together  many  years.  Uncle 
Bronson  was  a  good  millwright.  They  found  a  small  creek  in  Board- 
man  Grove,  running  down  through  Clayton  Center,  and  emptying  into 
Pony  creek  just  above  its  mouth.  On  this  stream  they  put  up  a 
sawmill.  It  was  on  section  16,  the  geographical  center  of  Clayton 
County,  near  John  Barrett's.  The  mill  was  finished,  the  machinery  all 
put  in,  and  everything  ready  to  start.  In  the  evening  a  log  was  put 
upon  a  carriage  with  a  view  of  starting  next  morning  with  ceremonies 
befitting  the  introduction  of  a  grand  enterprise  in  a  new  world.  Morn- 
ing came.  The  dam  and  mill  machinery  and  logs  were  all  there, 
but  the  water  was  gone !  It  had  escaped  through  the  crevices  of  the 
rock  and  could  never  be  brought  back  again  so  as  to  be  made  to  turn 
a  wheel.  The  stream  or  hollow  now  goes  by  the  name  of  Dry  Mill 
Creek. 

One  might  naturally  suppose,  with  all  these  reverses  he  would  have 
been  discouraged.  But  his  energy  of  mind  caused  him  to  rise  above 
the  tide  of  reverses.  He  now  returned  to  his  cabin  on  Turkey  River  and 
prepared  to  break  the  soil,  but  another  calamity  lay  in  wait  for  him. 
The  Indians  stole  one  yoke  of  his  oxen.  Unable  to  break  his  claim 
with  the  team  left,  he  went  down  by  the  river  where  it  was  sandy, 
plowed  thirty  acres,  planted  corn,  raised  it,  ground  it  with  a  steel  hand 
mill,  and  ate  the  bread  earned  by  the  sweat  of  his  brow.  He  continued 
to  labor  until  more  than  eighty  years  old.  In  1843  the  Turkey  rose 
twenty-five  feet  above  low  water  mark  and  swept  away  all  his  fences. 
Not  yet  discouraged  he  gathered  what  rails  he  could  find  and  fenced  in 
a  part  of  his  field.  Again  the  water  came  and  swept  away  his  work, 
and  at  this  he  abandoned  the  field.  Messrs.  Thompson,  Sage  and  Davis 
bought  his  millsite,  which  enabled  him  to  improve  his  claim  on  which 


CLAYTON    COUNTY  S    MOST    NOTED    MEN  403 

his  house  stood.  In  1853  his  grandchildren  came  to  Iowa,  Captain 
Boardman  and  Mrs.  Betsy  Grannis,  with  whom  he  resided  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  well  provided  for.  He  died  at  Elkader,  July  5, 
1876,  at  the  age  of  ninety-five  years,  nine  months  and  nineteen  days. 
He  thus  lived  to  a  ripe  old  age,  lacking  a  little  over  four  years  of  being 
a  centenarian,  beloved  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  him. 

Alexander  McGregor — Alexander  McGregor  was  a  descendant  of 
the  old  Scotch  family  of  McGregors,  his  immediate  ancestors  having 
emigrated  to  the  United  States  and  settled  at  Wilton,  Saratoga  county, 
N.  Y.,  where  he  was  born  May  23,  1804.  Of  his  early  life  we  have 
been  able  to  gather  little  information,  except  that  his  education  was  of 
that  meager  sort  furnished  by  the  common  schools,  such  as  they  were 
at  an  early  day  in  the  country  where  his  parents  settled.  But  his 
native  energies  were  such  that  he  overcame  in  a  great  measure  these 
disadvantages  in  the  school  of  experience  and  self-education.  He 
emigrated  to  Chicago  in  1832,  where  he  could  have  purchased  at  that 
time  a  future  fortune  for  a  mere  trifle,  had  he  foreseen  what  Chicago 
was  destined  to  become.  But  that  was  hidden  from  the  most  saga- 
cious observer  in  the  sunken,  miry  and  unpromising  aspect  which  the 
future  great  city  then  presented.  Prairie  du  Chien  was  then  attract- 
ing considerable  attention,  and  to  this  point  he  removed  in  1835.  Dur- 
ing the  following  year  he  established  a  ferry  from  Prairie  du  Chien  to 
the  mouth  of  Coolie  de  Sioux,  now  the  foot  of  Main  street,  McGregor, 
which,  in  consequence,  soon  became  known  as  McGregor's  Landing. 
The  boat  which  Mr.  McGregor  first  used  was  an  old-fashioned  river 
craft  known  as  a  flatboat,  and  was  propelled  by  poles.  In  the  spring 
of  1840  the  United  States  Government  commenced  the  building  of 
Fort  Atkinson,  about  fifty-five  miles  northwest  on  Turkey  river,  and 
established  a  military  road  from  a  point  opposite  Fort  Crawford  to 
Fort  Atkinson.  As  that  road  had  to  pass  through  the  Coolie  de 
Sioux,  the  present  site  of  McGregor,  it  being  the  only  accessible  point 
for  crossing  the  river  and  reaching  the  high  table-land  to  the  west  of 
it,  the  landing  became  a  place  of  considerable  importance.  Ground 
was  leased  by  the  Government,  and  a  warehouse  erected  on  the  river 
bank  at  the  foot  of  what  is  now  Main  street,  Mr.  McGregor  having 
located  his  claim  at  this  point.  The  flatboat  ferry  established  in  1836 
did  not  prove  exceedingly  remunerative,  but  when  the  Government 
commenced  work  on  Fort  Atkinson,  business  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  a  horse  ferry  was  established  in  1841.  In  1847  ^^r. 
McGregor  moved  across  the  river  with  his  family,  and  occupied  a  log 
cabin  at  the  foot  of  Main  street. 

During  the  year  1856  (twenty  years  from  the  establishment  of 
the  first  ferry),  business  had  increased  so  consider|ibly  that  Mr. 
McGregor  found  it  necessary  to  exchange  his  horse  ferryboat  for  one 
more  powerful  and  rapid.  Consequently  a  new  steamboat  of  300  tons' 
burden  was  purchased  at  Cincinnati  for  $12,000.  This  boat  was  chris- 
tened the  "Alexander  McGregor,"  and  arrived  here  Nov.  13,  1856.  It 
was  dedicated  the  following  day  by  the  citizens  of  McGregor  and 
Prairie  du  Chien  in  an  excursion  to  Clayton,  twelve  miles  below  on 
the  Iowa  side.  In  1853  and  1854,  the  demand  of  immigration  increas- 
ing, he  established  also  a  ferry  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river, 


404  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

crossing  at  a  point  about  two  miles  below  McGregor,  where  he  built  a 
road  at  his  own  expense.  It  would  be  interesting,  as  well  as  just  to 
the  memory  of  one  so  intimately  identified  with  the  history  of  this 
section  of  Iowa,  to  treat  the  eventful  life  of  Mr.  McGregor  in  greater 
detail,  had  we  the  data  at  our  command ;  but  little  has  been  furnished 
us  beyond  what  we  have  thus  briefly  recorded.  Mr.  McGregor  was 
married  April  23,  1843,  to  Miss  Ann  C.  Gardner,  of  Saratoga  county, 
N.  Y.  By  this  marriage  he  had  four  children,  namely,  the  following, 
in  order  of  their  birth :  Chester,  Gregor,  Gardner  and  George,  of  whom 
Gregor  and  Gardner  are  living.  Gregor  McGregor  is  engaged  in  busi- 
ness in  the  City  of  McGregor  and  has  several  times  been  elected  to  the 
mayoralty.  He  was  elected  in  1870  and  1871,  and  reelected  in  1874, 
holding  the  office  at  the  present  time. 

Mr.  McGregor  died  at  the  age  of  fifty-four  years  and  seven 
months,  on  the  12th  of  December,  1858.  His  illness  was  long  and 
painful,  but  he  bore  it  with  patient  and  heroic  fortitude,  and  "died 
calmly  as  if  going  to  sleep."  We  cannot  do  better,  in  closing  this 
sketch,  than  to  copy  the  following  friendly  tribute  to  his  memory, 
written  at  the  time  of  decease  by  the  late  editor  of  The  North  Iowa 
Times,  Colonel  A.  P.  Richardson,  who  knew  him  intimately: 
Alexander  McGregor  was  our  friend,  and  it  would  afiford  us  a  melan- 
choly gratification  to  detail  the  difficulties  and  privations  he  encoun- 
tered in  the  early  settlement  of  this  country,  and  the  energies  and 
manliness  with  which  he  met  the  responsibilities  of  pioneer  life;  but  we 
are  not  furnished  with  the  data,  and  hence  this  notice  can  not  be  his- 
torical, though  the  subject  of  it  eminently  merits  and  invites  a  minute 
biographical  article.  Knowing  our  deceased  friend  to  have  been  a 
man  of  unquestioned  integrity,  averse  to  the  application  of  the  recep- 
tion of  flattery,  we  dare  not  insult  his  memory  by  the  use  of  smooth 
terms  of  exclusive  praise.  In  the  estimation  of  the  world,  and  doubt- 
less of  himself,  he  was  not  faultless,  but  whatever  errors  of  life  may 
be  remembered  against  him  are  properly  attributed  to  a  moral  consti- 
tution that  asked  nothing  but  the  right  and  submitted  to  nothing  that 
he  regarded  as  wrong.  The  compromise  of  interest  with  principle 
was  unknown  to  a  nature  that  deliberately  took  a  position  believed  to 
be  correct,  and  inflexibly  maintained  it. 

Many  men  are  said  to  have  died  unregretted ;  their  conduct  has 
been  such  that  no  eye,  moistened  with  the  tear  of  sorrow,  looked  upon 
the  last  sad  office  that  frail  humanity  could  render ;  no  interest  except 
that  caused  by  the  remembrance  of  their  wrongs  awakened  in  the 
heart  of  the  multitude.  Not  so  here — the  inhabitants  of  the  town  will 
long  regret  his  early  decease ;  the  friends  and  neighbors  of  many  years 
will  mourn  the  loss  of  a  tried  friend,  while  anguish  unutterable  will 
possess  the  hearts  of  his  revered  partner  and  her  orphan  boys,  when 
the  gentle  voice  and  the  eloquent  eye  of  the  departed  one  present  them- 
selves to  the  keenly  searching  eye  and  ear  of  memory.  Alexander 
McGregor  was  a  warm  friend,  an  open  foe,  a  kind  husband,  an  indul- 
gent father,  a  law-abiding  citizen,  and  an  honest  man.  His  sickness 
was  borne  and  death  met  with  a  fortitude  unexcelled  in  the  records  of 
earth's  greatest  heroes.  His  funeral  was  the  most  imposing  tribute 
of  regard  on  the  part  of  the  citizens  ever  paid  to  a  deceased  fellow- 


CLAYTON    COUNTY  S    MOST    NOTED    MEN  405 

citizen  in  this  part  of  the  State.  The  cortege  was  half  a  mile  in  length, 
numbering  from  fifty  to  seventy-five  teams,  and  carrying  nearly  a 
thousand  people.  The  hotels  and  business  houses  were  closed  and 
draped  in  mourning,  and  a  general  sadness  was  exhibited  by  all. 

Governor  Samuel  Merrill. — Samuel  Merrill  was  born  in  the  town 
of  Turner,  Oxford  County,  Maine,  August  7,  1822.  He  was  the  son 
of  Abel  and  Abigail  (Hill)  Merrill.  He  was  one  of  a  large  family 
and  was  descended  from  Nathan  Merrill,  who  came  to  America  from 
England  in  1636.  When  sixteen  years  of  age  he  removed,  with  his 
parents,  to  Buxton,  Maine,  where  he  attended  and  taught  school  in 
turn  until  he  reached  his  majority.  He  tried  teaching  in  Maryland, 
but  soon  returned  to  his  native  state  where  he  engaged  in  business  with 
his  brother  Jeremiah.  A  few  years  later  he  joined  the  great  rush  of 
settlers  to  Iowa  and  came  to  McGregor,  establishing  himself  in  the 
mercantile  business.  He  prospered  during  the  rushing  days  of  Mc- 
Gregor's great  prosperity  and  soon  became  one  of  the  leading  mer- 
chants. Accumulating  wealth  rapidly,  he  soon  became  engaged  in  the 
banking  business  and  was  one  of  the  founders,  and  the  first  president 
of  the  McGregor  State  Bank. 

In  1859  he  was  elected  to  the  Legislature  from  Clayton  County  and 
he  took  such  forceful  part  in  the  deliberations  of  that  body  that  he 
soon  became  recognized  as  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Republican  party. 
Before  coming  to  Iowa  Mr.  Merrill  had  been  a  member  of  the  Legis- 
lature of  the  State  of  New  Hampshire,  and  this  legislative  experience 
aided  greatly  in  fitting  him  for  a  public  career  in  Iowa.  The  Iowa 
Legislature,  of  which  Mr.  Merrill  was  a  member,  was  called  in  extra 
session  by  Governor  Kirkwood  to  devise  measures  to  assist  the  general 
government  in  the  prosecution  of  the  war,  and  in  this  work  Mr.  Merrill 
took  a  prominent  and  patriotic  part.  When  the  first  Iowa  regiments 
were  organized  it  was  found  that  there  was  no  available  money  to 
uniform  them.  It  was  this  emergency  that  Mr.  Merrill  joined  with 
other  men  of  wealth  and  advanced  some  $10,000  each  for  the  equip- 
ment of  the  volunteers.  It  was  this  patriotic  action  which  enabled 
Iowa  to  respond,  promptly  and  efficiently,  to  the  call  for  troops. 

In  1862  Governor  Kirkwood  tendered  Mr.  Merrill  the  colonelcy 
of  the  2 1st  Iowa  regiment.  Colonel  Merrill  accepted  the  commission 
and  at  once  became  active  in  recruiting,  and  later,  in  leading  his  men 
to  battle.  The  history  of  the  regiment  has  been  told  in  another  chapter. 
Suffice  it  here  to  say  that  Colonel  Merrill  lead  his  men  bravely  and  to 
victory.  At  the  battle  of  Black  River  Bridge  he  was  so  severely 
wounded  that  he  was  forced  to  leave  his  regiment  and  return  to 
McGregor. 

His  wound  was  so  serious  that  he  was  granted  an  honorable  dis- 
charge, but  there  was  an  insistent  demand  on  the  part  of  the  regiment 
that  he  be  reinstated,  and  thinking  his  health  would  permit,  he  rejoined 
his  regiment.  It  proved,  however  that  the  efifects  of  his  wound  were 
too  serious  to  permit  of  active  service  and  he  was  forced  to  leave  the 
service  in  May,  1864.  Returning  to  McGregor  he  became  again  inter- 
ested in  banking  and  when  the  State  bank  was  reorganized  as  a 
National  bank,  he  was  the  first  president. 

On  account  of  his  activities,  both  in  peace  and  war,  he  was  a 


406  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

favorite  candidate  for  the  Republican  nomination  for  Governor  in 
1867.  At  the  state  convention  of  the  Repubhcan  party  he  lead  all  in 
the  balloting,  and  was  nominated  on  the  fourth  ballot.  He  was  elected 
by  a  large  majority  and  during  the  stormy  days  of  re-construction,  he 
was  a  strong  influence  for  the  granting  of  equal  rights  to  the  negro 
race.  Some  of  his  state  papers  are  among  the  strongest  and  most  able 
ever  issued  by  an  Iowa  Governor.  He  was  the  first  Governor  of  Iowa 
to  recommend  the  regulation  of  railroad  rates,  and  he  was  also  a  pio- 
neer in  insurance  and  educational  legislation.  He  did  a  great  work  for 
Iowa,  in  1868,  when  upon  the  invitation  of  Peter  Cooper,  he  wrote  a 
lengthy  review  of  the  resources  and  possibilities  of  the  state.  This 
document  was  circulated  widely  in  the  east,  was  translated  into  other 
languages  and  had  great  influence  in  attracting  desirable  immigration 
to  Iowa. 

Governor  Alerrill  was  reelected,  in  1869.  by  the  largest  majority  ever 
given  an  Iowa  Governor  up  to  that  time.  He  was  a  man  of  great  force 
of  character,  and  unafraid  to  act  according  to  his  convictions,  and  he 
vetoed  a  number  of  bills  during  his  second  term  as  Governor.  Some 
of  these  vetoes  drew  sharp  criticism,  but  in  every  instance  they  were 
.justified  by  time.  It  was  during  his  term  that  the  capitol  of  Iowa  was 
built  and  it  was  Governor  Merrill,  who,  in  October,  1870,  held  the 
plow  to  break  the  first  ground  for  the  building  of  that  great  structure. 
It  was  he,  also,  who  laid  the  cornerstone  of  the  building  in  November, 
1 87 1.  He  was  also  the  moving  spirit  in  the  great  soldiers'  reunion 
held  at  Des  Moines,  in  1870,  securing  an  appropriation  of  $15,000 
from  the  state  and  $5,000  from  the  city  of  Des  Moines  for  the  purpose 
of  the  entertainment  of  the  soldiers  and  also  securing  for  them  free 
transportation  over  the  railroads  of  the  state. 

His  administration  was  marked  by  many  other  accomplishments 
for  the  good  of  the  people.  He  was  also  the  first  Governor  of  Iowa 
to  give  his  entire  time  to  the  conduct  of  his  office,  removing  to 
Des  Moines  for  that  purpose.  Upon  retiring  from  the  office  of  Gov- 
ernor, he  accepted  the  presidency  of  the  Citizens'  National  Bank  of 
Des  Moines,  which  position  he  held  until  his  removal  to  California, 
where  he  spent  his  last  years  in  well  earned  leisure.  He  died  at  Los 
Angeles,  California,  August  31,  1899,  and  he  was  buried  at  Des  Moines. 
Gov.  Merrill  was  married  three  times.  His  first  wife,  to  whom  he 
was  married  in  1847,  died  fourteen  months  after  their  marriage.  He 
was  married  in  1851  to  INIiss  Elizabeth  D.  Hill,  and  she  was  the  wife 
who  was  known  and  loved  by  the  people  of  McGregor  and  of  Iowa  as 
the  first  lady  of  the  state.  Governor  Merrill  was  one  who  made  his 
way  by  sheer  force  of  intellect  and  deeds,  rather  than  by  words  and 
protestations.  He  was  reserved  and  dignified  and  not  at  all  of  the 
type  of  the  so-called  "popular  politician,"  and  there  were  many  in 
Clayton  county  who  stood  closer  to  the  hearts  of  the  people,  but  none 
who  commanded  higher  respect. 

Major  E.  V.  Carter — Major  Carter  was  a  native  of  the  State  of 
New  York,  and  was  educated  in  Ohio.  In  1847  he  moved  to  Iowa, 
and  located  in  Clayton  county,  first  in  Grand  Meadow  township  and 
subsequently  in  Elkader.  He  taught  the  first  school  in  Elkader,  after 
which  he  embarked  in  mercantile  pursuits.     In  this  he  continued  until 


CLAYTON    COUNTY  S   MOST    NOTED    MEN  407 

1859,  when  at  the  request  of  prominent  business  men  of  the  county 
he  came  to  AIcGregor  as  president  of  the  McGregor  branch  of  the 
State  Bank  of  Iowa,  which  position  he  filled  until  the  branch  bank  gave 
place  to  the  national  bank.  Soon  after  this  he  accepted  a  paymaster's 
commission  in  the  United  States  service.  In  the  arduous  duties  of  that 
office  he  impaired  his  health  and  brought  on  his  death  sickness.  In 
November,  1865,  he  returned  to  his  family,  only  to  decline  and  die 
among  his  friends.  He  died  at  Elkader,  April  21,  1866,  in  his  fifty- 
seventh  year.  During  his  active  public  and  private  career,  he  estab- 
lished and  maintained  a  reputation  for  integrity  and  promptness  in  all 
his  dealings  which  made  him  esteemed,  respected  and  honored  by  all 
who  knew  him.  It  can  be  said  of  him  that  he  had  no  enemies.  Old 
and  young  alike  loved  him.  The  announcement  of  his  death  caused 
general  sorrow,  and  a  large  company  of  mourning  friends  accom- 
panied his  remains  to  their  last  resting  place.  He  was  buried  Monday, 
April  23.  Rev.  S.  P.  Sloan,  of  McGregor,  of  whose  society  Mr.  Carter 
was  a  member,  delivered  an  impressive  sermon  and  paid  a  just  tribute 
to  the  deceased.  The  services  were  held  in  his  church,  the  erection  of 
which  was  due  more  to  his  efforts  and  benevolence  than  to  those  of  any 
other  person. 

There  was  scarcely  a  man  in  the  county  more  widely  known  and 
more  universally  respected.  He  possessed  traits  of  character  which 
could  not  fail  to  bring  him  into  notice  and  command  general  respect. 
In  his  youth  he  enjoyed  more  than  ordinary  advantages  for  mental 
culture,  and  during  his  whole  life  he  was  a  close  observer  of  men  and 
things,  keeping  well  advised  of  passing  events,  and  well  informed  on 
all  the  great  questions  which  engaged  the  public  attention.  He  was 
possessed  of  a  very  happy  disposition,  having  in  his  nature  a  humorous, 
playful  element  which  made  him  an  agreeable  companion  of  youth,  and 
at  the  same  time  a  grave  and  serious  element  which  fitted  him  to  be  the 
companion  and  counselor  of  the  mature  and  the  aged.  But  his  crown- 
ing excellence  was  the  immovable  integrity  of  his  character.  He  was 
honest,  truthful,  frank,  straightforward,  unflinching,  always  and  every- 
where. His  religion  was  eminently  practical ;  it  was  to  do  good ;  as 
well  as  to  be  good ;  it  was  the  love  of  man  as  well  as  the  love  of  God. 
There  were  two  directions  in  which  his  benevolence  especially  took 
direction:  first,  in  the  cause  of  temperance,  he  was  one  of  the  earliest 
and  latest  and  most  constant  advocates ;  second,  he  was  an  abolitionist, 
one,  too,  when  it  cost  a  man  something  to  be  a  friend  of  a  slave.  He 
believed  in  the  inalienable  right  of  men  to  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit 
of  happiness ;  and  believing  this,  he  made  it  his  political  platform,  and 
on  it  he  stood  and  battled  for  freedom,  until  he  saw  his  principles  tri- 
umph in  the  nation.  Having  lived  an  earnest  life,  full  of  good  works, 
the  peaceful  death  which  he  died  was  the  fitting  close  of  his  upright 
career. 

Dr.  Samuel  Little  was  born  in  Enfield,  Grafton  county,  N.  H., 
May  22,  1801,  and  studied  medicine  at  Dartmouth  College.  After 
completing  his  studies,  he  practiced  in  his  native  state  until  1855,  when 
he  gave  up  medicine  and  moved  to  his  present  home  in  Clayton  county. 
At  the  time  he  located  here,  that  portion  of  the  county  which  he  chose 
for  his  home  was  in  its  wild  and  natural  state.     The  rolling  prairies 


408  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

covered  with  gay  wild  flowers  charmed  his  imagination  and  he  selected 
for  his  home  a  most  charming  spot,  overlooking  one  of  the  most  beau- 
tiful and  delightful  valleys  in  the  wide  West,  now  dotted  with  beautiful 
and  enterprising  villages,  and  neat  and  well-cultivated  farms. 

Nothing  could  ever  induce  him  to  leave  this  delightful  abode  or 
to  practice  his  profession.  For  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  this  kind 
and  honorable  man  lived  in  this  retreat,  honored  by  his  neighbors,  and 
loved  by  an  interesting  family.  He  took  a  deep  interest  in  art  and 
science,  and  spent  much  time  in  reading  and  study.  He  died  March 
21,  1878,  from  injuries  resulting  from  being  thrown  from  his  carriage. 
He  was  returning  from  McGregor  in  company  with  his  son-in-law, 
when  a  drunken  fellow  drove  up  rapidly,  striking  the  carriage  so 
forcibly  as  to  throw  the  doctor  violently  to  the  ground.  He  never 
recovered  from  these  injuries. 

HON.   THOMAS  UPDEGRAFF 

Woven  all  through  the  history  of  Clayton  county,  from  the  early 
SOS  to  the  close  of  the  first  decade  of  the  twentieth  century,  is  the  name 
of  Thomas  Updegraff.  The  county  has  produced  many  splendid  men 
and  not  a  few  who  have  risen  to  much  prominence,  but  there  were  none 
who  had  a  longer  and  more  honorable  career  nor  who  were  more 
widely  known  and  respected  than  this  man  who  was  known  as  "Honest 
Tom"  throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  Iowa. 

He  was  born  in  Tioga  county,  Pennsylvania,  April  2,  1834,  the  son 
of  William  and  Rachel  (Smith)  Updegraff.  As  a  youth  he  received 
an  excellent  academic  education  which  served  as  a  foundation  for  the 
years  of  study  and  research  which  formed  a  large  part  of  his  lifework 
and  which  made  him  one  of  the  greatest  scholars  and  clearest  thinkers 
Iowa  has  ever  known.  He  came  to  Clayton  county  with  his  brother- 
in-law,  Elijah  Odell,  and  joined  the  little  colony  at  Garnavillo  which 
at  that  time  contained  more  brains  to  the  square  mile  than  any  other 
section  of  Iowa.  A  short  time  after  his  arrival,  and  as  a  young  man 
of  twenty-two,  he  was  appointed  clerk  of  the  district  court  and  for  the 
next  few  years  his  residence  changed  with  the  changing  county  seat. 
Two  years  later  he  returned  to  the  east  for  a  short  time,  bringing  back 
with  him  to  Iowa  his  bride,  Laura  A.  Piatt,  to  whom  he  was  married 
in  Huron  county,  Ohio,  June  i,  1858,  and  who  was  his  loving  and  help- 
ful wife  until  her  death  which  occurred  on  January  2,  1865.  During 
these  years  Mr.  Updegrafif  spent  the  time  not  devoted  to  his  official 
business  to  the  study  of  law  under  the  tutelage  of  Mr.  Odell,  and.  in 
1861,  soon  after  leaving  the  clerk's  office,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar 
and  entered  into  partnership  under  the  firm  name  of  Odell  &  Updegraff. 

Although  a  man  of  large  stature  and  of  apparent  robustness,  Mr. 
Updegraff  did  not  enjoy  good  health.  During  his  term  as  clerk  he 
suffered  a  severe  illness  which  it  was  thought  at  the  time  would  prove 
fatal.  This  was  undoubtedly  the  reason  that  he  was  not  found  in  the 
Union  ranks,  for  no  man  was  more  patriotic  nor  more  staunch  in 
loyalty  to  the  flag.  In  i860  he  made  McGregor  his  home  and  it  was 
there  that  he  died  after  fifty  years'  continuous  residence.  At  McGregor 
he  soon  made  his  mark  as  a  lawyer  and  as  a  citizen,  but,  although  taking 


CLAYTON    COUNTY  S   MOST    NOTED    MEN  409 

an  active  interest  in  political  events  at  all  times,  he  was  for  the  next  ten 
years,  up  to  1870,  devoting  himself  almost  entirely  to  his  profession. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Odell  he  became  a  partner  with  that  great 
pioneer  lawyer,  Hon.  Reuben  Noble,  and  this  became  one  of  the  most 
noted  legal  firms  in  northern  Iowa.  He  was  a  member  of  the  school 
board  of  McGregor  and,  from  1870  until  1892,  served  as  city  solicitor. 
During  the  war  and  immediately  thereafter  Mr.  Updegraff  was  strongly 
republican,  but  he  was  among  those  who  "Greeleyized"  in  the  early 
70s  and  he  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  great  editorial  idealist  in  his 
disastrous  campaign  against  Grant.  Mr.  Updegraff  was  active  in  sup- 
port of  Greeley  in  this  campaign  and  although  he  soon  returned  to  the 
republican  ranks,  this  temporary  defection  was  never  forgiven  by  many 
of  his  party  associates.  His  re-entrance  into  public  life  came  in  1878, 
when  he  was  elected  as  a  representative  from  Clayton  county  to  the 
Iowa  legislature.  Here  his  great  ability  came  into  active  play  and  he 
soon  became  an  acknowledged  leader.  It  was  his  prominence  and 
effectiveness  in  the  legislature  which  led  to  his  nomination  for  Con- 
gress from  the  Fourth  congressional  district.  His  candidacy  was  suc- 
cessful and  he  was  re-elected,  serving  in  the  46th  and  47th  congresses, 
from  1879  to  1883.  He  was  nominated  for  a  third  term,  but  was 
defeated  by  L.  H.  Weller,  known  throughout  the  state  as  "Calamity 
Weller."  This  was  at  the  height  of  the  "anti-monopoly"  movement  in 
Iowa,  but  the  election  of  Weller  came  as  a  great  surprise  as  his  early 
candidacy  had  been  considered  in  the  light  of  a  joke  by  his  political 
opponents.  For  the  next  ten  years  Mr.  Updegraff  devoted  himself  to 
his  extensive  law  practice  at  McGregor,  but  he  was  at  all  times  a  com- 
manding figure  in  the  politics  of  Iowa,  standing  high  in  the  councils  of 
his  party  and  his  forceful  eloquence  being  in  demand  in  each  campaign. 
In  1903  he  was  again  the  candidate  of  his  party  for  Congress,  and  this 
time  his  opponent  was  Hon.  W.  H.  Butler.  The  campaign  was  exciting, 
there  was  a  series  of  joint  debates  which  stirred  the  entire  district,  and 
the  contest  ended  with  a  victory  for  Mr.  Updegraff  by  1,500  majority. 
He  was  twice  re-elected,  serving  in  the  53d,  54th  and  55th  congresses. 
He  was  a  candidate  for  the  nomination  for  a  fourth  term,  and  in  this 
he  was  opposed  by  Hon.  J.  E.  Blythe,  of  Mason  City,  who  had  been 
chairman  of  the  republican  state  central  committee  and  who  had  behind 
him  the  force  of  the  regular  organization.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
bitter  pre-convention  contests  ever  known  in  Iowa  and  resulted  in  a 
draw  between  the  two  leading  candidates  and  the  nomination  of  Hon. 
G.  N.  Haugen.  During  the  years  of  contest  between  the  wings  of  the 
republican  party,  designated  as  "progressives"  and  "stand-pat,"  Mr. 
Updegraff  allied  himself  with  the  progressive  cause  and  was  one  of  its 
strongest  and  most  able  supporters.  In  1888  he  was  a  delegate  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention  and  was  one  of  the  committee  to  notify 
Benjamin  Harrison  of  his  nomination  for  the  Presidency.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  the  Register  and  Leader,  of  Des  Moines,  contained  an 
able  article  of  appreciation  of  Mr.  Updegraff's  brilliant  career,  from 
which  the  following  is  quoted : 

"After  he  retired  from  Congress,  Mr.  Updegraff  chose  retirement 
as  far  as  politics  were  concerned,  and  devoted  himself  to  his  law  prac- 
tice.   He  held  no  public  position  afterward  save  that  of  commissioner 


410  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

to  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  at  St.  Louis.  In  his  law  practice 
he  made  no  effort  to  build  up  new  business — he  merely  cared  for  the 
interests  of  business  firms  and  families  that  had  entrusted  their  legal 
affairs  to  him  for  a  generation  or  more. 

"However,  his  interests  were  keenly  alive  and  he  followed  the 
events  of  recent  years  very  closely.  By  nature  independent  in  thought, 
his  sympathies  were  with  the  progressive  faction  of  the  republican 
party  and  his  influence  was  exerted  for  them.  He  did  not  go  with  the 
progressives  as  far  as  the  tariff  was  concerned ;  on  the  tariff  issue  he 
stood  pat.  He  explained  his  unusual  attitude  in  a  recent  letter  to 
United  States  Senator  Cummins.  'You  know  that  I  am  with  you  in 
your  fight,'  he  said  in  effect,  'and  I  have  been  all  these  years.  But  I 
can't  agree  with  you  on  the  tariff.  But  I  feel  that  these  other  issues 
of  corporation  and  railroad  control  and  their  like  are  so  much  bigger 
than  the  tariff  that  I  can't  afford  to  part  with  you  on  the  tariff  issue.' " 

Mr.  Updegraff  had  natural  aptitude  for  politics,  but  he  sought  no 
office  for  himself  until  he  had  passed  into  the  forties,  when  he  was 
elected  to  the  seventeenth  general  assembly,  the  general  assembly  of 
1877.  ^^  that  assembly  Mr.  Updegraff'  was  prominently  associated  with 
the  efforts  to  create  a  state  board  for  the  control  of  state  institutions, 
such  as  was  later  created.  The  lower  branch  of  the  legislature  acted 
favorably  upon  the  proposed  legislation,  but  the  senate  defeated  it. 

Mr.  Updegraff  was  a  large-hearted  man  and  if  he  had  a  weakness 
it  was  an  inability  to  say  no  to  men  who  pleaded  with  him  for  this  or 
that.  He  Avas  never  known  to  refuse  to  help  a  friend  in  need,  and  he 
attached  his  name  to  the  notes  of  friends  with  a  readiness  that  some- 
times cost  him  dearl3^  He  was  a  man  of  high  ideals  in  his  private  life 
and  in  his  public  service  both,  and  he  believed  in  standing  by  his 
principles.  He  was  genial  in  disposition  and  greatly  beloved  by  his 
neighbors  and  fellow  townsmen  in  McGregor,  where  his  home  has  been 
since  the  sixties. 

Mr.  L^pdegraff  belonged  to  an  unusual  group  of  pioneer  attorneys 
in  northeastern  Iowa,  including  Elijah  Odell,  Reuben  Noble,  Samuel 
Murdock,  Judge  Williams,  James  C.  Crosby,  L.  L.  Ainsworth,  and 
others  of  their  high  type.  "There  never  was  a  finer  bar  than  Clayton 
county  had  in  those  days,"  said  an  attorney  who  knew  these  men  per- 
sonally. Of  this  group,  James  C.  Crosby  of  Garnavillo  is  perhaps  the 
sole  living  member,  and  he  insists  that  he  is  not  growing  older,  because 
he  hasn't  time  to  grow  old. 

"Tom"  Updegraff  and  William  Larrabee  were  close  friends  and 
political  associates  for  many  years.  They  were  together  on  the  St, 
Louis  Exposition  board  of  commissioners,  and  they  cooperated  in 
bringing  Clayton  and  Fayette  counties  into  line  for  progressive 
republicanism. 

Recently  Freeman  A.  Conway  of  the  Ames  Intelligencer,  secretary 
of  the  St.  Louis  board  of  commissioners,  set  out  to  arrange  a  reunion 
of  the  commissioners.  Governor  Larrabee  wrote  a  letter  explaining 
that  he  doubted  if  "Tom"  Updegraff'  could  come  to  Des  Moines  for 
such  a  reunion,  because  he  was  not  in  good  health  and  averse  to  going 
far  from  home.    Governor  Larrabee  suggested  that  the  reunion  be  held 


CLAYTON    county's   MOST    NOTED    MEN  4II 

at  Clermont  and  expressed  the  belief  that  he  could  induce  his  friend 
Updegraff  to  come  over  there. 

"Tom"  Updegraff's  illness  was  more  serious  than  most  of  his 
friends  supposed.  It  proved  to  be  due  to  an  internal  cancerous  growth 
which  finally  took  him  out  of  this  mortal  world.  Air.  Updegraff  leaves 
two  daughters,  who  kept  up  the  home  at  McGregor.  They  are  daugh- 
ters of  a  second  wife  who  died  some  years  ago.  W.  F.  Odell  of  Des 
Moines  is  a  nephew.  He  was  as  successful  in  business  as  in  practice 
of  law  and  politics  and  leaves  a  comfortable  estate. 

Michael  Uriell — Alichael  Uriell  was  born  September  25,  1816,  in 
County  Tipperary,  Ireland,  his  parents  being  John  and  j\Iary 
(Gleason)  Uriell,  where  he  had  few  educational  advantages  and  passed 
his  early  life  on  a  farm.  His  father  having  died  previously,  in  March, 
1838,  with  his  mother  and  two  brothers,  Patrick  and  John,  they  emi- 
grated to  the  United  States,  landing  in  New  Orleans,  and  thence  came 
to  St.  Louis  and  finally  came  to  McGregor,  which  they  reached  Novem- 
ber 1st,  1838.  From  there  they  started  with  an  ox  team  through  the 
timber,  Joel  Post  was  the  only  one  before  them.  They  first  went  to 
Farmersburg  and  in  the  next  spring  to  what  was  afterward  Read  town- 
ship, and  located  on  the  farm  which  was  subsequently  known  as  the 
James  Uriell  place,  where  he  remained  with  his  brother  Patrick,  who 
had  entered  the  land.  Joel  Post  and  Elias  Miner  were  the  only  two 
settlers  before  them  in  what  is  now  known  as  Read  township.  In  those 
days  Mr.  Uriell  has  said :  "There  was  not  a  blacksmith  in  Clayton 
county  and  I  used  to  go  to  Prairie  du  Chien  to  get  my  plow  fixed,  and 
to  Catfish  mill,  Dubuque,  to  get  my  flour."  About  this  time  the  gov- 
ernment had  opened  a  farm  near  Fort  Atkinson  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  the  Indians  the  art  of  farming  and  to  this  place  Air.  Uriell 
was  attracted,  and  there  he  worked  several  years,  as  overseer,  until 
the  Indians  were  taken  to  Crow  Wing  river,  Minnesota,  by  Gen. 
Fletcher,  then  the  agent.  After  his  return  to  Clayton  county  he  set- 
tled on  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  29,  Read  township,  which  he 
had  entered  some  years  previous.  This  farm  he  has  owned  fifty-nine 
years  and  here  he  resided  until  he  came  to  Elkader. 

Mr.  Uriell  was  the  second  justice  of  the  peace  elected  in  his  town- 
ship and  for  ten  years  served  the  county  as  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Supervisors.  In  all  places  of  trust  he  was  regarded  as  a  man  of  high 
honor  and  a  valuable  officer.  Upon  his  retirement  from  the  Board  of 
Supervisors  the  North  Iowa  Times,  in  speaking  of  it  at  that  time  said : 
"In  the  retirement  of  Hon.  M.  Uriell,  the  county  loses  the  services 
of  a  valuable  and  honest  serv^ant,  one  who  has  faithfully  discharged  the 
duties  devolving  upon  him  with  a  zealous  and  earnest  desire  to  benefit 
those  for  whom  he  was  laboring.  We  believe  we  are  but  expressing 
the  feelings  of  the  people  over  the  county  when  we  say  that  in  the 
retirement  of  Michael  Uriell,  Clayton  county  has  parted  with  an 
honest,  faithful,  upright  servant." 


CHAPTER  XVIII 


A  CHAPTER  OF  REMINISCENCES 

REMINISCENCES— AS  WRITTEN  BY  VARIOUS  PIONEERS 

SAMUEL  MURDOCK S.  T.  WOODWARD GEORGE  MONLUX P.  P.  OLMSTEAD 

GEORGE   OATHOUT MRS.    ANN    DICKENS MRS.    LOUISA    MURDOCK 

GUY  KINGSLEY — ELIPHALET  PRICE. 

IN  this  chapter  also  the  pioneers  are  speaking  for  themselves,  giving 
an  intimate  and  personal  view  such  as  no  one  can  give  unless  he 
lived  through,  and  was  a  part  of  the  events  of  which  the  written 
history  tells.  These  reminiscences  are  gathered  from  many  sources  and 
were  written  at  various  times  and  are  well  worth  preserving  in  this 
history. 

REMINISCENCES  OF  SAMUEL  MURDOCK 

I  had  spent  about  two  years  in  the  Territory  of  Iowa  chiefly  at 
Iowa  City  when  I  concluded  before  settling  down  for  good,  I  would 
take  a  look  at  other  parts  of  the  country.  I  made  my  way  to  Dubuque, 
presented  my  letters,  and  I  was  soon  acquainted  with  the  members  of 
the  bar  of  that  county.  The  district  court  was  in  session.  I  fell  in 
with  Dr.  Andros  and  John  Thomas,  the  father  of  O.  B.  Thomas  of 
Prairie  du  Chien.  Having  between  them  a  good  team,  a  light  wagon 
and  a  vacant  seat  they  persuaded  me  to  accompany  them  to  Clayton 
county,  an  invitation  which  I  gladly  accepted.  We  arrived  at  Dr. 
Andros's  home,  situated  about  a  mile  south  of  the  town  of  Jackson- 
ville, now  Garnavillo,  on  the  9th  of  August,  1843.  The  farm  now 
occupied  by  Henry  Schlake  was  then  occupied  by  a  Scotchman  by  the 
name  of  A.  P.  McDonald,  who  with  his  amiable  wife,  had  wandered 
into  the  western  wilds  in  search  of  a  future  home,  and  who  offered  me 
the  hospitality  of  their  house  and  home,  and  it  was  at  the  fireside  of 
this  noble  couple  that  I  spent  nearly  two  happy  years  of  my  life.  With  my 
trusty  rifle  I  kept  the  family  supplied  in  meat,  and  with  my  good 
eyes  in  an  abundance  of  wild  honey,  and  these,  with  two  good  cows 
to  furnish  milk  and  butter,  we  lived  on  the  fat  of  the  land.  This 
family  afterward  moved  to  Canada,  where  Mr.  McDonald  was  elected 
a  member  of  their  parliament,  and  where  he  became  one  of  her  dis- 
tinguished men ;  and  where  both  lived  to  a  good  old  age  and  died  at 
last  lamented  by  all. 


414  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  pursuance  of  an  act  of  the  legisla- 
ture the  county  seat  had  then  but  recently  been  moved  from  Prairie 
la  Port,  and  the  stake  had  been  stuck  about  where  the  old  liberty  pole 
formerly  stood  in  the  public  square  at  Garnavillo.  The  morning  after 
my  arrival  I  took  a  ramble  about  the  future  town  and  a  view  of  the 
surrounding  country,  and  found  the  scene  wild  but  beautiful.  The 
town  consisted  only  of  one  small  log  hut  occupied  by  Mr.  John  Banfil, 
wife,  and  Miss  Cora  Patch,  a  sister  of  my  wife,  and  the  family  bade 
me  a  hearty  welcome  as  a  proposed  future  settler.  It  was  here  that 
on  that  day,  I  first  mict  several  old  settlers  of  the  surrounding  country ; 
among  them  were  James  Watson,  John  W.  Gillett,  James  Thompson, 
George  Whitman,  Richard  Only,  A.  Griswold,  James  King,  with  quite 
a  number  of  others,  whose  names  have  now  escaped  me,  and  telling 
them  my  occupation,  they  one  and  all  bade  me  welcome  as  the  first 
professional  man  to  make  his  appearance  among  them. 

A  term  of  the  district  court  was  to  be  held  here  on  the  first 
Monday  in  October  next,  and  Mr.  Banfil  and  wife  had  come  to  build 
a  hotel  to  accommodate  the  people  who  would  be  in  attendance,  and 
both  were  well  fitted  for  the  task  before  them.  Banfil  himself  was  a 
mechanic  of  the  first  class,  and  could  work  at  all  trades,  besides  he 
was  untiring  in  his  labor,  and  from  the  time  I  first  struck  his  cabin 
until  court  day,  I  do  not  think  I  slept  five  hours  in  the  twenty- four. 
Besides  James  Thompson,  Hiram  Parkhurst,  and  Abram  Van  Doran, 
all  good  mechanics,  had  commenced  the  erection  of  another  hotel  just 
south  of  the  public  square,  in  opposition,  to  be  called  the  Temperance 
House,  and  there  was  a  race  for  completion.  Banfil,  however,  suc- 
ceeded, and  on  court  day  had  his  building  ready  for  the  reception  of 
guests.  The  front  part  of  this  building  was  moved  a  few  years  ago 
and  is  now  owned  by  Martin  Havill.  The  rear  part  is  still  standing 
and  is  still  occupied  as  a  hotel  by  that  genial  and  kind-hearted  landlord 
Schumacher.  The  old  Temperance  House,  long  occupied  by  the 
Engler  Brothers,  is  a  thing  of  the  past,  and  Thompson  sleeps  his  last 
sleep  in  the  old  cemetery  near  it.  Parkhurst  met  a  horrible  death  on 
the  plains,  where  he  was  skinned  while  alive  by  the  Indians.  Van 
Doran  informs  me  in  a  recent  letter,  that  he  still  lives,  and  on  the 
highest  peaks  of  the  Cumberland  mountains  in  old  Virginia.  All  of 
these  men  were  of  the  mould  in  which  nature  casts  her  nobility.  At 
last  the  day  of  court  arrived,  with  the  Hon.  T.  S.  Wilson,  long  known 
in  Iowa  as  an  able  jurist,  and  an  honorable  man,  who  has  but  recently 
been  called  to  his  long  home,  on  the  bench;  Dr.  F.  Andros,  clerk; 
Ambrose  Kennedy,  sheriff.  There  was  a  large  number  of  cases  on 
the  docket,  for  at  this  time  the  jurisdiction  of  the  county  extended  to 
the  British  line  on  the  north  and  westward  without  limit,  and  the  cases 
had  called  here  men,  suitors,  witnesses,  grand  and  petit  jurors,  for 
many  miles  around.  Foreign  lawyers  from  Dubuque  and  Wisconsin 
were  present  in  force,  and  the  temporary  courthouse  recently  erected 
by  the  county,  failed  to  hold  but  a  trifle  of  the  number  who  had  busi- 
ness within  it,  but  who  afterward  became  neighbors  and  friends  for 
life.  How  was  this  vast  and  hungry  crowd  to  be  fed  and  lodged? 
Banfil  was  equal  to  every  occasion  for  he  had  his  building  covered.  In 
every  room,  both  above  and  below,  he  had  erected  temporary  board 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  415 

tables  covered  at  meal-time  with  plenty  and  of  the  best.  These  tables 
he  converted  into  beds  at  night,  while  he  threw  up  a  temporary  shanty 
across  the  street,  to  do  the  triple  purpose  of  a  saloon,  a  restaurant, 
and  sleeping-room,  while  the  farmers  in  the  country  opened  their 
homes  to  many.  It  was  thus  that  this  good-natured  crowd  spent  one 
whole  week  at  the  first  court  held  at  Jacksonville. 

Those  of  our  readers  who  are  familiar  with  pioneer  life,  can  well 
imagine  the  acts  and  doings  of  such  a  crowd  of  men  who  in  the  absence 
of  female  restraint,  had  assembled  at  that  spot  to  inaugurate  the  first 
example  of  a  high  court  on  the  high  prairie  and  yet  they  adjourned 
and  parted  without  a  single  jar,  or  mishap  of  any  kind.  At  this  court 
there  appeared  for  the  first  time  a  young  man  of  fine  appearance 
dressed  in  homespun,  with  a  pleasing  countenance,  a  fine  physique 
and  with  an  intellectual  face,  who  afterward  settled  in  the  county  as 
an  attorney-at-law,  and  who  became  a  noted  lawyer  and  an  able  judge, 
one  who  for  fifty-three  years  held  a  place  in  the  first  rank  of  this  pro- 
fession, and  who  died  at  last  still  in  the  harness,  lamented  and  regret- 
ted by  all.  This  young  man  was  the  late  Judge  Reuben  Noble,  he  and 
Murdock  for  many  years  constituted  the  l3ar  of  the  county.  There  is 
still  living  in  the  city  of  Humboldt,  Humboldt  county,  Iowa,  with  his 
old  wife,  a  hale,  hearty  old  man  by  the  name  of  E.  B.  Lyons,  who  in 
1842  was  the  clerk  of  the  County  Commissioners'  Court  of  Clayton 
County,  and  with  this  exception.  Van  Doran  and  myself,  I  know  of 
no  others  of  that  vast  crowd  of  men  who  attended  that  first  court  who 
are  alive  today.  Samuel  Murdock. 

REMINISCENCES   BY   HON.   S.   T.    WOODWARD 

We  found  the  prairie  in  the  township  mostly  unsettled,  wild  and 
unbroken.  It  seemed  beautiful  beyond  description,  covered  with  wild 
flowers  and  surrounded  by  groves  and  woods.  The  settlement  at  that 
day  was  along  the  edge  of  the  Mississippi  timber  mainly,  and  I  often 
then  used  to  hear  men  say  that  the  prairie  about  Center  Grove  would 
not  soon  be  settled,  because  it  was  too  far  from  timber.  The  earliest 
settlers,  judging  by  the  entries  of  land,  were  Henry  D.  Lee,  Daniel  W. 
Barber,  Peter  Eastman  and  Joseph  Tusrow,  who  entered  land  in  1841 
and  1842,  along  the  edge  of  the  Mississippi  timber.  The  Barbers 
both  died  about  the  time  we  came  to  the  country,  and  the  widow 
married  P.  W.  Lown,  who  now  lives  in  Grand  Meadow  township,  and 
the  widow  of  Daniel  married  Wm.  C.  Linton,  who  still  lives  in  the 
township.  Harry  D.  D.  Lee  was  one  of  the  Government  surveyors  in 
1837-38,  and  undoubtedly  made  his  selection  of  land  while  engaged 
on  that  survey.  Peter  Eastman  afterward  moved  to  Mendon  town- 
ship, where  he  died  many  years  ago.  Wm.  C.  Linton,  S.  W.  Buck, 
Geo.  A.  Whitman,  Sidney  E.  Wood,  P.  R.  Moore,  John  Hamilton, 
I.  W.  Shafif,  Obadish  Brown,  Orrin  Keeler,  Wm.  King  and  M.  B. 
Sherman  entered  land  in  1844,  '45,  '46,  and  most  of  them  commenced 
improvements  about  that  time.  Sidney  Wood  was  a  Methodist 
preacher,  a  son-in-law,  I  think,  of  John  Francis.  He  sold  out  to  Dr. 
I.  H.  T.  Scott,  who  now  lives  in  Monona,  and  Wood,  I  believe,  then 
moved  to   Oregon.     Dr.   Scott,  when   he   moved  to   Iowa,   had  his 


4l6  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

diploma  as  a  physician,  and  first  moved  with  his  young  wife,  an  excel- 
lent woman,  by  the  way,  long  since  deceased,  to  Garnavillo,  where 
he  went  vigorously  to  work,  at  first  shaving  shingles  to  earn  a  living, 
till  he  should  become  known  in  his  profession.     Wm.  C.  Linton,  and 
M.   B.   Sherman  still  live  in  the  township;  Geo.  A.   Whitman  and 
Nathaniel  Wood  sold  out  and  moved  to  Minnesota;  Joseph  Neill  and 
Orrin  Keeler  died  many  years  ago,  and  Hoskins,  P.  R.  Moore  and 
Hamilton  moved  away.     After  the  above  named  settlers,  the  next 
batch  were:  Cyrus  A.  Buck,  who  bought  I.  W.  Barber's  farm,  James 
Woodward,  Wm.  Scarf,  Edwin  Sherman  and  Major  Jenkins,  in  1848, 
and  Judge  Crary  and  Hon.  M.  L.  Fisher  came  in  1849  and  entered. 
The  new  board  cabin  of  the  former  was  one  of  the  prominent  land- 
marks of  the  prairie  when  first  built,  and  the  present  residence  of  the 
other  must  have  been   built   soon   after.     Wm.    L.    Newton,    F.    G. 
Cook,  Wm.  S.  Scott,  Geo.  L.  Cook,  Danford  Eddy,  James  Jones  and 
Levi  Angier  must  have  been  among  those  who  commenced  making 
farms  there  in   1849-50,  and  doubtless  many  others  whose  names  I 
can't  now  recall.     In  1853,  '54,  '55,  '56,  settlement  was  rapidly  made, 
and  land  was  brought  under  cultivation  very  fast.    Most  of  us  in  those 
days  lived  in  log  cabins,  built  with  our  own  hands.      The  teams  used  were 
mostly  oxen,  and  many  a  time  did  we  go  to  social  gatherings,  "sleighing 
with  the  girls,"  with  oxen  and  sleds.     A  span  of  horses  and  double 
wagon  was  at  that  time  an  aristocratic  outfit.     Farmersburg  precinct 
at  first,  after  we  came  to  Iowa,  embraced  McGregor,  and  I  think  part 
of  the  Giard  elections  were  held  in  the  log  school-house  near  where 
Norman  Hamilton  now  lives,  which  was,  I  think,  the  first  school-house 
built  in  the  township.     I  remember  seeing  Alexander  McGregor  and 
others  from  McGregor's  Landing,  as  it  was  then  called,  at  elections  at 
the  school-house.     At  that  early  day  all  roads  to  the  woods  were 
known  as  railroads,  that  is,  roads  on  which  rails  were  hauled.     The 
first  postoffice  established  in  the  township  must  have  been  in  1850  and 
Dr.  I.  T.  H.  Scott  was  the  first  postmaster.     Afterward  Wm.  Scott, 
Charles  Watkins  and  Wm.  Feed  held  the  office.     The  postoffice  at 
National  was  established  about  1854,  and  Nathan  Slaughter,  I  think, 
was  the  first  postmaster.     The  township  has  furnished  several  officers 
for  the  county,  and  at  least  one  for  the  State.     Hon.  M.  L.  Fisher  was 
senator  four  years,  and  was  superintendent  of  public  instruction  for, 
I  believe,  two  years.     Hon.  O.  W.  Crary  was  county  judge,  and  after- 
ward senator.     Hon.  Thos.  D.  White  has  been  representative  for  two 
years,  and  John  Everall,   Esq.,  has  been   county   superintendent  of 
common  schools  for  the  county.     Sidney  Wood  once  represented  our 
county  in  the  legislature,  and  I.  W.  Francis  was  probate  judge  for 
several  years. 

REMINISCENCES   OF    GEORGE    MONLUX 

In  1915,  George  Monlux,  a  pioneer  of  Wagner  township,  wrote 
from  his  new  home  in  Rock  Rapids  a  series  of  reminiscences  of  Clay- 
ton county,  from  which  the  following  concerning  agricultural  methods 
and  other  interesting  facts  of  the  early  days  are  taken:  "When  we 
came  to  Elkader,  in  May,  1858,  I  had  never  seen  a  reaper.^  In  Ohio, 
we  always  cut  our  grain  with  a  cradle  and  sometimes  with  a  hand 
sickle,  but  here  we  found  the  old  blue  McCormick  which  would  cut 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PU&LIC   LIBRARY 


A8T0K,    LKN91    AND 

TlLOUrN    (TOUNDATlliNiJ 

t  L 


CLAYTON   COUNTY    ASYLUM,   ELKADER 


PUBLIC  SCHOOLS,  ELKADER 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  417 

anything  from  grain  to  hazelbrush.  A  man  rode  on  the  machine  with 
his  back  to  the  team  and  raked  the  grain  off  and  where  the  grain 
stood  up  he  could  deHver  it  in  good  shape  for  the  binder.  It  took 
eight  binders  to  bind  grain  and  two  men  to  shock,  and  ten  to  twelve 
acres  was  a  good  day's  work.  Other  reapers  soon  came  into  use,  we 
had  an  Esterly,  on  the  back  end  of  the  platform  a  man  stood  with  a 
fork  to  deliver  the  grain.  A  self-raker  was  tried  by  Joseph  Stiner, 
and  while  it  would  cut  and  rake  very  well,  the  mechanical  construc- 
tion was  at  fault  and  kept  breaking  down.  Then  came  the  John  P. 
Manny  and  the  John  H.  Manny,  one  used  a  rake  and  the  other  a  fork 
to  deliver  the  grain.  Then  came  the  McCormick  self-rake,  with  five 
bars  on  the  reel,  one  of  which  scraped  the  grain  from  the  platform 
into  bundles.  Another  machine  with  self -rake  was  the  Walter  A. 
Wood,  a  very  good  machine,  as  was  the  Kirby,  a  self-rake.  Then 
came  the  binder,  the  Buckeye  and  the  Excelsior,  and  these  kind  of 
reapers  were  the  favorite  until  the  Marsh  harvester,  the  wire  binder 
and  then  the  twine  binder  of  the  present  day. 

In  Ohio,  we  threshed  grain  with  the  flail  and  by  tramping  the 
sheaves  with  horses,  on  the  barn  floor,  or  by  threshing  with  a  single 
twenty-four-inch  cylinder  run  by  tread  power,  and  cleaning  the  grain 
by  the  old  windmill,  but  out  in  Iowa,  Peter  Walter  had  a  genuine 
threshing  machine  with  the  old  tub  power  run  by  eight  horses  with 
tumbling  rod  attached  to  a  jack  wheel  and  from  that  to  the  machine  by 
a  belt.  The  horse  power  was  staked  to  the  ground  and  when  moved 
had  to  be  loaded  upon  a  wagon ;  the  machine  had  no  straw  stacker  or 
feeder  attached  and  the  grain  was  caught  in  the  half  bushel  under 
the  machine.  In  Wagner  township,  buggies  were  practically 
unknown.  When  we  went  to  church,  father  and  mother  occupied 
split  bottom  chairs  at  the  front  end  of  the  wagon  box  and  we  kids 
piled  in  behind  on  soft  hay  or  straw. 

The  spring  of  1857  was  very  late  and  no  seeding  was  done  until 
after  the  first  of  May  and  even  then  great  snow  banks  could  be  found 
in  many  places.  At  that  time  a  seeder  or  grain  drill  was  unknown, 
all  grain  was  sown  by  hand,  scattering  the  grain  from  a  sack  strapped 
over  the  shoulder  and  it  was  my  business  to  carry  the  grain  from 
sacks  distributed  over  the  field  to  father,  who  did  the  sowing.  The 
grain  was  then  dragged  in  with  a  common  harrow,  or  if  sown  in 
cornstalks,  plowed  in  with  a  corn  plow  and  a  single  shovel.  I  never 
saw  a  corn  planter  or  a  seeder  until  about  ten  years  after  this  date 
and  about  that  time  the  walking  corn  cultivator  came  into  use,  but 
all  these  early  implements  were  very  crude,  heavy  and  cumbersome. 
Joseph  Stiner  purchased  the  first  check  row  corn  planter.  The  check 
rower  was  made  of  rope  with  knots  to  do  the  checking,  but  that  year 
Uncle  Stiner  only  cultivated  his  corn  one  way.  A  splendid  crop  of 
wheat  and  oats  was  produced  that  year,  but  the  great  panic  of  1857 
was  on  in  all  its  force  and  the  wheat  we  raised  only  sold  for  35  to 
40  cents  per  bushel. 

Our  money  was  almost  worthless  and  much  of  it  was  entirely  so, 
and  a  man  could  not  carry  it  around  without  great  danger.  When  he 
came  to  use  it,  he  often  found  that  the  wild-cat  banks  which  issued  it 
were  broke.     While  some  bills  were  worth  nearly  par,  others  were  at 


4l8  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

a  discount,  running  down,  on  a  very  active  sliding  scale,  to  nothing.  A 
banker  living  in  Michigan,  Wisconsin,  or  any  state  could  legally  start 
a  bank,  issue  bills  and  then  send  them  as  far  away  as  possible  into 
other  states  for  circulation.  The  first  money  I  ever  earned,  about  $4, 
for  pitching  bundles  to  a  threshing  machine,  at  50  cents  a  day,  was 
paid  me  for  my  own  and  as  soon  as  possible  I  went  to  town  to  pur- 
chase various  articles  which  I  thought  I  needed,  but  after  purchase  I 
presented  the  merchant  my  Wisconsin  bank  bills  and  found  the  bank 
had  failed  and  I  was  penniless,  but  I  had  lots  of  com- 
pany. The  only  real  money  we  had  was  gold  and  silver  and  bills 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Iowa  and,  of  course,  this  money  was  very  scarce 
and  utterly  inadequate  to  transact  our  business.  We  had  been  using 
this  wildcat  money,  accepting  it  at  its  face  value,  but  we  had  some 
captains  of  industry  and  finance  even  at  that  day  who  knew  how  to 
skin  the  people  ;  and  the  financiers  and  speculators  just  took  our  money 
at  any  discount  they  demanded,  or  not  at  all,  and  it  was  not  until  the 
National  bank  act,  during  the  war,  took  effect  that  the  country  was 
relieved  of  this  highway  robbery. 

The  earlier  settlers  always  had  a  good  market  for  their  supplies 
at  home  among  the  immigrants  coming  in  and  many  of  them  took  their 
wheat  to  the  Elkader  mill  and  had  it  ground  into  flour  and  with  ox 
teams  transported  the  flour  north  into  Minnesota,  where  they  found 
ready  sale  and  good  prices.  About  this  time  the  railroad  was  built  to 
Prairie  du  Chien,  but  this  new  market  gave  us  no  relief  and  during 
this  panic  money  was  almost  unknown  and  it  was  a  difficult  matter  to 
get  real  money  enough  to  pay  our  taxes  and  it  took  gold  money  to  pay 
the  government  price  of  $1.25  per  acre  for  land.  But  there  was  no 
suft'ering  for  food  and  clothing.  We  had  plenty  of  everything  that 
could  be  produced  on  the  farm  to  eat,  and  our  mothers  were  skillful 
with  the  spinning  wheel,  the  loom,  and  with  their  knitting  needles  to 
produce  warm  and  comfortable  clothing.  The  clothing  was  not  very 
fashionable,  neither  were  the  boys  and  girls  of  that  period.  We  just 
worked  and  grew  strong,  enjoyed  life,  every  day  of  it,  went  to  our 
schools  and  spelling  schools,  churches  and  dances.  The  Hunt  school 
house  on  the  north,  the  Wagner  school  house  on  the  center  and  the 
Patterson  school  house  in  the  south  part  of  our  township  were  our 
social  centers.  The  crops  during  the  latter  years  of  the  50's  were 
usually  good,  but  there  was  no  money  to  purchase  the  surplus  and 
after  hauling  produce  to  McGregor,  some  hauling  for  more  than  100 
miles,  the  usual  price  was  $2.00  per  hundred  for  dressed  hogs  and 
around  50  cents  per  bushel  for  wheat.  We  used  to  mow  the  hay  with 
a  scythe  and  gather  it  with  a  fork  from  the  swath  into  cots,  or  pitch 
it  on  the  wagon  and  then  by  hand  pitch  the  hay  into  a  stack  or 
hay-mow. 

In  April,  1861,  after  the  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  and  Lincoln's 
proclamation  calling  out  75,000  men,  the  country  went  wild  with  the 
patriotic  sentiment  of  defending  their  country,  the  quota  was  filled  in 
a  few  days,  and  the  young  men  appeared  to  be  alarmed  for  fear  the 
fighting  would  be  over  before  they  could  get  to  the  front.  About  the 
middle  of  April,  1861,  there  was  a  genuine  law  trial  in  my  father's 
court,  at  which  Tom  Updegraff,  of  McGregor,  and  R.  E.  Price,  of 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  419 

Elkader,  were  the  attorneys  and  these  attorneys  brought  us  the  news 
of  the  bombardment  and  fall  of  Fort  Sumter  and  that  war  had  com- 
menced. Quite  a  number  of  the  citizens  of  Wagner  were  present 
but  this  news  did  not  create  much  excitement.  Of  course  the  news 
had  been  pointing  toward  war,  but  the  people  generally  were  loath  to 
believe  that  there  would  be  real  war,  but  soon  was  issued  Lincoln's 
proclamation  for  75,000  men.  Then  the  people  unanimously  talked 
and  rallied  to  the  support  of  the  nation,  but  when  the  repeated  call 
for  men  of  300,000,  500,000  and  as  the  war  dragged  along,  calling  for 
men,  then  did  the  slimy  head  of  the  copperhead  begin  to  show,  but 
here  only  to  the  extent  of  discouraging  enlistment.  This  however,  is 
not  the  time  and  place  to  talk  about  the  disgraceful  and  treasonable 
part  taken  in  our  Civil  War  by  the  Copperheads  and  Knights  of  the 
Golden  Circle. 

The  first  enlistments,  as  I  recall  them,  were  Joe  Eno  and  Lester 
Squires,  Third  Infantry,  killed  at  Blue  Mills,  Missouri,  in  September, 
1861 ;  John  Christ,  Company  K,  First  Iowa  Cavalry;  Jacob  Christ, 
Twelfth  Infantry ;  John  Monlux,  Sixteenth  U.  S.  These  boys 
enlisted  in  1861  from  Wagner  township,  but  in  1862,  when  the  Iowa 
regiments  were  organized  the  boys  came  out  by  the  hundreds  from 
loyal  Clayton  county.  According  to  the  Iowa  roster,  Clayton  county 
furnished  about  350  men  for  the  Twenty-first  Iowa,  and  Company  D, 
Capt.  Elisha  Boardman's  company  of  Elkader,  was  made  up  entirely 
of  recruits  from  Elkader  and  vicinity.  About  275  Clayton  county 
boys  enlisted  in  the  Twenty-seventh  Infantry.  Lieutenant  Tipton 
and  Avalo  J.  Price,  major,  recruited  33  men,  all  from  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  Elkader  for  Company  I,  Eighth  Iowa  Cavalry.  This  body 
of  men  was  known  in  the  regiment  as  the  Elkader  squad.  In  the 
enlistments  in  1862,  very  many  of  the  soldiers  were  married  and  left 
their  families  behind,  and  I  have  heard  many  of  the  soldiers  say,  "The 
hardest  battle  I  ever  fought  was  when  I  marched  away  and  left  my 
wife  and  children."  When  the  call  was  made  for  300,000  more  men 
the  farmers  met  and  made  arrangements  to  enlist  as  soon  as  their 
crops  were  harvested,  and  the  result  was  as  soon  as  they  could  get 
matters  arranged  they  enlisted  in  a  body,  making  almost  an  entire 
company,  and  nearly  all  married  men.  I  was  elected  captain  and  for 
three  years  commanded  this  company. 

p.  p.  OLMSTEAD 

On  the  13th  day  of  July,  1840,  P.  P.  Olmstead  and  his  brother, 
David,  set  out  from  Prairie  du  Chien  across  the  Mississippi  in  search 
of  a  home.  After  one  or  two  days'  journey,  they  concluded  to  make 
a  claim  in  what  is  now  Monona  township.  Returning  to  Prairie  du 
Chien,  they  purchased  an  outfit  for  keeping  house,  and  then  settled  on 
their  claim.  They  were  the  first  white  settlers  in  Monona  township. 
About  two  miles  northwest  of  their  location  was  an  Indian  village, 
with  a  population  of  200  Winnebagoes,  whose  chief  was  Whirling 
Thunder.  There  was  also  a  farm  of  about  forty-five  acres  connected 
with  the  village  and  cultivated  by  the  Indians.  This  farm  had  been 
broken  and  fenced  by  the  United  States  Government  in  1838.     They 


420  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

found  the  Indians  peaceable,  but  never  regarded  them  as  very  agreeable 
neighbors.     Their  first  experience  concerning  the  character  of  their 
neighbors  was   derived  a   few  days  after  they  had  completed  their 
cabin.     Some    of    the    Indians    called    during   the    absence    of    Mr. 
Olm stead  and  brother,   and  carried   away  all   their   bedclothes   and 
provisions.    The  next  October,  Whirling  Thunder  and  his  band  moved 
to  Fort  Atkinson,  where  the  whole  Winnebago  tribe  of  Indians,  num- 
bering about  3,400,  were  being  moved,  most  of  them  from  Wisconsin, 
for  the  purpose  of  compelling  them  to  occupy  the  neutral  grounds, 
according  to  stipulation.     The  Indians  often  crossed  their  reservation 
lines,  however,  and  visited  the  whites.     Speaking  of  the  Indians,  Mr. 
Olmstead  says:  "We  were  often  visited  by  the  Indians,  who  were  gen- 
erally friendly  and  peaceable.     On  two  or  three  occasions  only  did 
they  show  any  disposition  to  injure  us.     About  the  first  of  August, 
soon  after  we  had  completed  our  cabin.  Brother  David  went  to  Grant 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  remained  about  two  weeks,  leaving  me 
alone  to   work  on   our   claim,   and   during  his   absence   eight  or  ten 
Indians,  of  both  sexes,  came  into  our  cabin  and  asked  for  food.    I  gave 
them  what  I  had  cooked,  but  did  not  appear  to  satisfy  them.     One  of 
them  commenced  searching  the  cabin  for  more  food,  which  did  not 
surprise  me  or  cause  me  any  alarm  until  I  discovered  that  he  held  in 
his  right  hand  a  butcher  knife  with  blade  drawn,  which  he  tried  to 
conceal  under  his  blanket,  but  which  I  discovered  probably  in  time  to 
save  my  life,  for  as  soon  as  I  saw  it  and  noticed  the  manner  in  which 
he  held  the  knife,  I  was  satisfied  that  he  intended  to  take  my  life,  and 
I  immediately  stepped  to  one  corner  of  the  room  and  caught  hold  of 
an  ax,  which  was  the  best  weapon  within  my  reach,  and  told  them  to  go 
out  of  the  house,  which  order  was  obeyed  with  some  apparent  hesi- 
tation. 

"About  the  first  of  the  following  November,  Brother  David  and 
myself  being  at  our  cabin  together,  seven  strong-looking  Indians  came 
from  the  west,  and  upon  speaking  with  them  we  discovered  that  they 
intended  mischief.     The  first  words  spoken  by  them  were  threats  to 
burn   our   cabin.     After   hearing  their  threats   we  bolted   the   door. 
They  did  not  show  any  weapons,  and  I  think  they  did  not  intend  to 
injure  us,  but  as  soon  as  we  shut  the  door  against  them,  they  com- 
menced trying  to  break  it  down  by  throwing  their  weight  against  it. 
About  the  time  they  commenced  trying  to  break  down  the  door,  Mr. 
Schnider,   then   employed   as   blacksmith   at   the   mission   neart    Fort 
Atkinson,  came  along  with  his  team,  and  the  Indians  withdrew  from 
the  house.     Knowing  that  Mr.  Schnider  had  been  employed  by  the 
Government  for  several  years  and  could  converse  with  the  Indians  in 
their  own  language,  we  requested  him  to  stay  with  us  that  night  and 
try  to  persuade  the  Indians  to  be  peaceable  and  not  further  molest  us. 
Mr.  Schnider  very  kindly  complied  with  our  request,  and  succeeded 
in  preventing  any  further  attack  upon  our  premises.     What  the  result 
would  have  been  had  not  Mr.  vSchnider  come  just  at  that  time,  I  am 
unable  to  determine.     Had  the  Indians  persisted  in  their  attack  upon 
our  cabin  we  should  have  defended  it  to  the  utmost  of  our  power, 
but  they  might  have  overpowered  us  and  our  lives  been  sacrificed.     I 
shall  ever  remember  with  gratitude  the  timely  aid  rendered  us  by  Mr. 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  421 

Schnider,  who  afterward  settled  in  and  became  a  respected  citizen  of 
Giard  township." 

REMINISCENCES  OF  GEORGE  OATHOUT 

"Situated  in  the  village  of  Luana,  Clayton  county,  about  i8 
miles  west  of  McGregor,  there  still  remain  two  old-time  road  houses  or 
hotels  which  were  standing  on  the  present  location  over  50  years  ago. 
The  hotel  near  the  center  of  the  village  is  now  conducted  by  Mrs. 
Henderson  and  is  fully  up  to  the  standard  of  requirements  for  a  good 
stopping  place  for  the  lonely  traveler.  This  house  was  formerly 
known  as  the  'New  England  House'  and  was  conducted  over  50 
years  ago  by  Wm.  S.  Scott,  who  together  with  his  family,  has  gone 
over  the  river  years  ago.  Before  a  railroad  through  this  section  was 
even  thought  of,  the  military  trail  which  passes  through  here  and  was 
used  by  the  soldiers  passing  from  Prairie  du  Chien  to  Fort  Atkinson 
as  well  as  other  forts  in  jMinnesota  and  later  by  thousands  of  immi- 
grants going  through  to  find  home  on  the  frontier  which  was  not  very 
far  away  at  that  time  as  there  was  plenty  of  Government  land  before 
reaching  Decorah  or  West  Union.  Many  of  these  immigrants  who 
had  plenty  of  money  would  stop  for  meals  or  lodging,  while  others 
would  camp  in  or  under  their  wagons  and  cooked  their  meals  on  a 
fire  made  from  any  old  thing  they  found  by  the  wayside  or  brought  along 
for  the  purpose.  The  writer  has  many  times  seen  hundreds  of  such  wag- 
ons pass  in  a  day.  Later,  when  these  people  had  secured  their  home, 
and  had  something  to  sell,  McGregor  was  their  market  for  many  years 
and  the  road  would  be  literally  filled  with  teams  going  to  or  coming  from 
market.  Then  was  the  time  that  our  hotels  flourished.  Many  times 
the  beds  would  be  full  and  often  most  all  of  the  floor  space  too. 

"Sometimes  a  whole  beef  would  disappear  in  a  day  at  this  New 
England  House.  Many  people  who  were  then  or  afterwards  noted 
have  put  up  at  this  hotel.  We  recall  at  this  time  U.  S.  Grant,  while 
living  at  Galena,  111.,  often  stopped  here  while  out  on  a  trip  selling 
leather  and  buying  hides  for  a  tannery  in  his  home  town.  These  old 
inns  along  the  trail  were  the  gathering  places  for  the  people  living  in 
this  sparsely  settled  region  and,  of  course,  were  used  for  their  'board 
of  trade'  where  we  would  gather  evenings  to  swap  yarns  and  take  in 
the  news  brought  by  the  daily  line  of  stages  owned  by  Frank  and 
Walker,  who  carried  passengers  for  about  25  cents  a  mile,  also  the 
U.  S.  Mail,  and  if  we  are  not  mistaken,  the  express  business,  then 
handled  by  the  same  pioneer  company,  who  are  now  in  charge  of  the 
express  business  on  the  Milwaukee  railroad  system.  The  other  road  house 
was  owned  and  conducted  by  Geo.  Teeter  50  years  ago  and  later  by 
several  different  landlords.  The  stages  all  stopped  at  this  house  at 
that  time  and  would  change  horses  and  get  dinner.  It  was  quite  a 
sight  for  the  boys  to  see  the  four-horse  stages  coming  from  IMcGregor, 
West  Union,  Decorah  and  Elkader  about  the  same  time." 

REMINISCENCES  BY  MRS.  ANN  DICKENS 

It  is  with  much  satisfaction  that  I  lend  my  eflforts  to  the  work 
of  contributing  a  chapter  to  the  story  of  early  days  in  Clayton  county. 


422  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

I  came  to  this  county  in  1836.  The  15th  day  of  April  we  landed  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Turkey  river  and  wended  our  way  up  that  river  on 
horseback,  which  was  the  mode  of  travel  then,  until  we  reached  the 
little  settlement  we  had  in  view.  This  was  about  5  miles  up  the 
river  where  resided  a  few  families,  constituting  the  settlement.  They 
were :  Robt.  Hatfield,  James  Finley,  Henry  Redmond,  J.  W.  Jones  and 
Wm.  Wayman.  A  view  of  the  Turkey  river  and  its  surrounding 
bluffs  at  this  time  would  hardly  bring  to  mind  what  it  was  in  the  days 
of  1836.  When  I  arrived  there  the  hills  were  covered  with  immense 
timber  but  no  undergrowth,  owing  to  the  custom  of  the  Indians  of 
burning  the  ground  every  fall  to  help  the  growth  of  feed  for  deer. 
The  woods  were  full  of  panther,  bear,  wild  cats,  wolves,  foxes,  deer 
and  wild  turkey :  and  often  I  wondered  how  those  wild  turkeys  lived 
and  multiplied  to  such  a  great  extent.  Here  the  woods  were  full  of 
animals  for  whom  the  eggs  and  the  turkey's  young  would  be  such  a 
toothsome  meal.  The  log  cabin  in  which  the  few  families  lived  at 
that  early  day  had  puncheon  floors :  split  timbers,  hewed,  and  loose  on 
their  foundation.  The  Indian's  name  for  the  Turkey  river  was 
Sesick,  Anashungara.  At  stated  times  during  the  year  a  regular  trail 
was  formed  by  the  v/ild  turkeys  crossing  the  river,  which  from  this 
fact  took  its  name.  I  have  seen  a  train  of  them,  two  to  four  abreast, 
extending  from  the  river's  bank  to  the  forest  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away.  A  great  many  of  these  turkeys  were  trapped,  the  trap,  a  crude 
affair,  but  effective  to  the  extent  that  one  night  my  husband  secured 
24  of  them.  The  trap  was  simply  an  area  of  about  10  feet  square, 
enclosed  and  covered.  A  trench  extended  from  the  outside  and 
gradually  descending  ran  under  the  wall,  opening  on  the  inside. 
Through  this  trench  the  turkeys  walked,  led  on  by  corn  that  had  been 
generously  sprinkled  there. 

The  land  was  uncultivated  with  the  exception  of  some  small 
Indian  farms  where  they  raised  corn  and  vegetables.  Speaking  of  the 
Indians'  farming  reminds  me  of  the  way  they  used  to  cure  their  sweet 
corn  for  winter's  use.  They  dug  a  large  pit  in  the  earth  in  which 
they  burned  wood  until  it  was  full  of  live  coals.  They  then  scooped 
out  about  half  of  these  and  filled  the  place  with  green  corn,  half  of 
the  husks  on.  They  then  covered  this  corn  with  the  coals  removed 
from  the  pit  and  over  it  all  placed  a  good  layer  of  ashes  and  left  the 
corn  thus  to  cook. 

There  were  no  laws  at  the  time  I  came  to  Turkey  river,  nothing 
but  a  squatters'  law  or  custom.  Shortly  afterward  in  the  winter  of 
'37  or  '38,  Eliphalet  Price  was  elected  justice  and  Dr.  Griffeth,  the 
sheriff.  In  the  spring  of  1838  the  first  court  was  held  in  Prairie  la 
Porte,  now  Guttenberg,  when  two  men  lived  in  that  place,  Herman 
Greybill  and  Christian  Wise.  Court  was  held  in  the  cabin  of  Herman 
Greybill,  and  every  man  in  the  county  attended  that  court.  The  judge, 
Mr.  Dunn,  from  across  the  river,  had  ordered  that  the  proceedings  and 
findings  be  held  secret.  Those  were  days  when  anything  found  by  the 
court  was  a  matter  of  excitement,  and  I  never  think  of  the  name  of 
Allen  Carpenter,  without  my  mind  recalling  his  going  to  the  door  of 
the  shanty  immediately  after  court  was  adjourned  and,  not  heeding 
the  order  of  the  judge,  called  out  excitedly:  "Hoop!  we've  found  a 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  423 

bill  against  old  Pigeon."     The  bill  was  found  for  whiskey  sold  to  the 
Indians,  and  from  the  warning  thus  given  him,  he  escaped. 

Speaking  of  Prairie  la  Porte,  or  Guttenberg,  reminds  me  that 
besides  the  two  cabins  of  Greybill  and  Wise,  there  were  a  number  of 
miners'  shanties  and  one  log  cabin  hotel.  In  those  days  lead  was 
mined  quite  extensively,  but  the  mineral  was  never  found  in  paying 
quantities.  There  was  enough  of  it  to  induce  the  miners  to  work  just 
a  little  farther,  and  many  fortunes  were  sunk,  by  hopes  that  never 
materialized.  No,  there  was  nobody  in  Clayton  county  in  1832,  the 
year  of  the  Black  Hawk  war.  The  year  following,  three  or  four 
families  arrived  and  in  1834  my  brothers,  Martin,  Thomas  and  Moses 
Van  Sickle  came  among  the  first.  Thomas  Van  Sickle's  child,  my 
nephew,  was  the  first  white  child  born  in  the  county,  in  the  spring  of 
1834.  Eastern  Iowa  at  this  time  was  the  frontier,  of  course,  and  we 
lived  the  life  of  frontiersmen.  We  used  to  take  what  little  wheat  we 
raised  to  Maquoketa  to  a  corn  mill  and  have  it  ground.  This  left  it 
pretty  coarse,  but  it  did  for  most  purposes.  When  we  wanted  it  for 
finer  food  we  sifted  it  through  mosquito  bar.  There  were  very  few 
horses,  and  oxen  were  our  mainstays.  Many  a  time  I  have  watched 
my  father  plow  with  the  very  crudest  of  instruments.  Basswood  for 
lines,  the  basswood  strips  laying  in  a  trough  of  water  to  keep  them 
from  becoming  too  dry  and  brittle ;  raw  cowhide  for  tugs ;  braided 
corn  husks  for  the  collar  to  the  "harness" ;  crooked  sticks  for  hames, 
with  no  iron.  A  furrow  about  7  inches  wide  was  made  with  our 
wooden  plows,  iron  tipped.  No  calves  could  be  raised  on  the  open  on 
account  of  the  thousands  of  big,  gray  wolves.  When  we  came  we 
found  the  Indians  "farming,"  raising  corn  and  beans.  Large,  heavy, 
peculiarly  shaped  hoes  were  used  and  corn  was  not  planted  in  rows 
but  here  and  there  where  a  soft  place  could  be  found.  The  Indians 
knew  enough  to  hill  their  corn,  however,  before  the  white  man's 
advent  to  the  county.  The  Indians  here  then  were  the  Winnebagoes 
and  they  were  not  troublesome  unless  the  "civilized"  white  men  gave 
them  whiskey. 

In  the  spring  of  1838  I  was  married  to  my  second  husband,  whom 
everybody  knew  as  Ned  Dickens.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  we 
moved  from  "The  Settlement,"  to  a  little  place  north  of  Colesburg. 
Here  that  fall  I  stayed  alone,  from  one  Sunday  to  the  next  Saturday,  7 
miles  from  the  nearest  neighbor,  while  Mr.  Dickens  was  at  the  Turkey 
river  settlement  that  we  had  left  that  spring,  gathering  corn.  The 
only  human  beings  I  saw  during  that  long  week,  were  the  Indians, 
who  would  peer  in  at  the  window  (or  holes  that  served  for  windows) 
or  walk  into  the  cabin,  unannounced,  for  food  and  barter.  The  next 
Monday,  two  days  after  my  husband  got  home,  he  shot  within  a  half 
mile  of  the  cabin  a  panther  that  measured  9  feet  from  the  tip  of  the 
tail  to  the  head.  We  sold  the  hide  to  Judge  Price,  for  $5.00,  who  had 
it  mounted  and  from  the  tallow  of  the  panther  I  made  11  dozen 
candles.  As  a  joke  upon  some  neighbors  from  the  East,  named 
Mallory  (for  whom  Mallory  township  is  named)  this  panther  was 
divided,  dried  and  fed  to  them  for  venison,  and  they  did  not  know 
the  difference  for  the  meat  was  beautiful.  The  little  incident  of  how 
this  immense  panther  was  shot  in  the  southern  part  of  Clayton  county 


424  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

in  1838  may  be  interesting.  Mr.  Dickens  was  following  upon  the 
fresh  trail  of  a  deer  when  he  found  them  joined  by  the  tracks  of  a 
panther.  These  he  followed  for  some  time  until  he  came  to  a  place 
where  tracks  of  the  panther  disappeared.  Following  the  deer  trail 
some  ways  farther,  he  found  a  place  where  the  snow  was  sprinkled 
with  blood,  and  a  portion  of  the  deer  lay  covered  with  snow.  A  little 
ways  farther  on,  crouched  the  panther,  resting  from  his  feast  and 
watching  the  deer's  remains.  The  distance  from  where  the  panther's 
tracks  ceased  to  the  fallen  deer  was  40  feet — the  distance  of  the 
animal's  jump.  That  year  Mr.  Dickens  shot  six  panthers  and  four 
bears. 

In  the  year  1839  Mr.  Wayman  had  among  his  cattle  an  animal 
of  which  the  Indian  boys  stood  in  much  fear.  Whenever  they  saw  it 
they  would  make  a  dash  for  the  rail  fence  and  from  that  height  would 
call  out,  "Waymana,  Waymana,  wapshada,  nipu."  Wapshada  mean- 
ing bull,  and  nipu,  dead,  which  signifies  they  were  afraid  the  bull 
would  kill  them.  This  cry  the  white  children  soon  took  up.  Their 
crying  it  one  night  so  frightened  a  Yankee  named  Mclntire,  who 
thought  the  Indians  were  coming  to  massacre  us,  that  I  also  became 
frightened,  and  my  husband  being  gone,  ran  into  the  forest  with  my 
children  and  there  hid  all  night.  My  brother,  Moses  Van  Sickle, 
killed  seven  bears,  single  handed,  in  a  cave  on  Cedar  creek,  just  below 
what  is  now  Garnavillo,  in  the  winter  of  1840.  He  entered  the  cave, 
torch  and  gun  in  hand  and  killed  the  seven,  one  by  one,  which  the 
men  outside  pulled  up  with  a  rope.  In  1842  we  moved  to  near  Farm- 
ersburg,  which  is  now  National,  on  Sni  Magill,  five  miles  from  the 
Mississippi.  In  the  winter  of  '47  and  '48  I  myself  delivered  at  one 
time  to  McGregor's  Landing,  2,000  pounds  of  venison  to  be  wagoned 
to  Fort  Atkinson.  In  the  winter  of  '56  and  '57,  the  year  of  the  heavy 
snow  crust,  my  husband  and  son.  Will,  killed  41  deer. 

Yes,  sir,  I  have  followed  the  frontier  all  of  my  early  life  and 
know  well  its  hardships.  I  was  born  in  Indiana,  but  moved  westward 
with  my  parents  in  the  advance  of  civilization.  I  was  within  8  miles 
of  the  great  massacre  during  the  Black  Hawk  war  and  moulded  bullets 
for  the  settlers  during  that  war. 

LOUISA  MURDOCK 

First-Born  White  Children — Mr.  William  Walker,  who  kept  the 
ferry  from  the  mouth  of  Turkey  river  over  to  Cassville,  lived  on  the 
Iowa  side  of  the  river.  He  had  a  child  born  in  1837.  A  family  by 
the  name  of  Parks  had  one  born  before  1840,  and  there  were  two 
children  in  the  Jones  family  born  before  that  year.  My  brother, 
Lewis,  now  living  in  Denver,  Colorado,  was  born  March  23,  1838,  near 
where  Millville  now  is,  in  Clayton  county,  Iowa  Territory.  Julius,  my 
youngest  brother,  was  born  in  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wis.,  October  i,  1840. 
I  believe  the  Springer  family  had  two  children  born  before  1840,  and 
the  Henry  Redmond  family  had  small  children  also,  I  think.  Dr. 
Griffeth  lived  on  a  small  farm  near  Millville.  I  do  not  know  whether 
he  had  children  born  in  this  county  or  not.  His  daughter,  Nancy,  was 
married  to  Joseph  Quigley  after  we  moved  to  Cassville. 

The  Oliver  family,  who  Hved  on  Turkey  river,  also  had  children. 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  425 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Oliver  was  hung  in  Cassville  about  the 
year  1839  ^or  the  shooting  of  a  man  that  had  worked  for  him,  by  the 
name  of  Jack  Courtwright.  Both  men  lived  in  Clayton  county  but  the 
shooting  took  place  in  Cassville.  As  there  were  no  stores  in  those  days 
on  the  Iowa  side  of  the  Mississippi  river,  trading  had  to  be  done  in 
Cassville.  G.  M.  Price,  a  brother-in-law  of  Ben  Forbes,  kept  the  first 
dry  goods  and  grocery  store  there.  The  town  was  composed  mostly  of 
eastern  people  and  the  society  was  good. 

The  young  men  of  the  place  were :  Ben  Manahan,  Charles  Wister, 
Ira  Libby,  and  two  brothers,  Cloves  and  Charles  Lagrave. 

REMINISCENCES   OF   GUY   KINSLEY 

"I  believe  I  have  split  more  rails  than  Abraham  Lincoln  ever 
saw.  In  early  days  rails  and  hoop  poles  were  legal  tender.  The  hoop 
poles  were  in  demand  by  the  flour  mills  and  the  rails  for  fences.  The 
first  homes  were  built  in  the  timber  but  in  the  fifties  the  settlers  began 
venturing  out  on  the  prairie  a  little  beyond  the  woods.  They  dared  not 
go  further  than  two  or  three  miles  for,  with  well  drills  an  unknown 
quantity,  they  were  obliged  to  stay  close  to  water.  Hogs  and  cattle 
were  free  commoners  and  if  you  wanted  to  raise  a  crop  it  was  neces- 
sary to  fence.  So  we  who  lived  in  the  timber  as  we  cleared  our  land, 
split  rails  and  sold  them  to  the  settlers  out  from  the  woods  and  we 
could  sell  all  we  could  make.  It  was  a  huge  undertaking  to  haul  rails 
for  fences  and  that  was  another  reason  why  the  settlers  stayed  near  the 
timber."  It  was  partly  because  his  father  had  been  given  a  quarter 
section  of  Iowa  land  in  recognition  of  his  services  in  the  War  of  1812 
that  Mr.  Kinsley  when  a  young  man  left  the  stony  Vermont  farm. 
"I  crossed  Lake  Champlain  by  boat,  then  journed  down  the  St.  Law- 
rence and  the  Great  Lakes  to  Chicago  and  up  to  Waukegan,  Wiscon- 
sin. There  I  shouldered  my  gun  and  set  out  on  foot  for  Iowa,  going 
first  to  Clinton  where  father's  land  was  located.  I  asked  the  county 
surveyor  at  Clinton  what  the  piece  was  worth.  He  answered,  'Oh, 
about  $500.'  I  wrote  this  back  to  father,  saying  I  would  pay  him  that 
much  for  it  and  stay  and  try  to  farm  the  land  if  he  wanted  me  to.  The 
news  that  a  quarter  section  of  Iowa  land  was  valued  at  $500  seemed 
almost  incredible  to  Vermont  people  and  I  so  had  a  letter  from  father 
saying  if  it  was  worth  that  much  he  guessed  he'd  keep  it.  A  year  later 
he  sold  for  $1700  that  quarter  section  that  $40,000  couldn't  probably 
buy  today." 

From  Clinton  the  young  emigrant  went  over  into  Wisconsin  again 
and  at  Lancaster  took  up  his  tramp  along  the  famous  old  trail  which 
terminated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Wisconsin  river.  At  the  end  of  the 
road  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  he  found  a  pole  and  a  long  horn. 
Two  miles  up  the  river  a  boat  was  to  be  seen  tied  up  at  McGregors 
Landing.  Taking  the  hint  Mr.  Kinsley  tied  his  handkerchief  on  the 
pole  and  blew  several  loud  blasts  on  the  horn.  While  he  waited  for 
the  boat  he  tells  how  he  bathed  his  weary  feet  in  the  waters  of  the 
Mississippi  and  gazed  with  fascinated  interest  at  the  great  river  and  the 
hills  opposite,  little  dreaming  of  the  greatness  of  the  State  he  was 
to  help  found  and  make  his  home  for  over  sixty  years.  The  Alexander 
McGregor  ferry  was  a  big  flatboat  propelled  by  horses.     It  was  in 


426  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

great  demand  in  the  fifties  to  carry  immigrants  from  the  Wisconsin  road 
to  McGregor's  Landing  where  they  could  take  the  trail  for  northern 
Iowa  and  southern  Minnesota.  Often  a  caravan  of  wagons  came  to- 
gether over  the  road  and  sent  a  man  ahead  on  foot  to  signal  the  ferry. 
The  boat's  captain  carried  his  fares  in  his  boot  leg  and  charged  Mr. 
Kinsley  ten  cents  for  the  service  of  himself,  mate  and  two  horses  for 
three  hours. 

The  following  spring  Mr.  Kinsley  bought  240  acres  in  the  woods 
near  McGregor  for  $600.  Twelve  acres  had  been  cleared  on  the  piece. 
There  was  a  log  cabin  on  it  and  an  old  Indian  had  tapped  900  of  the 
maple  trees  for  sap.  The  next  spring  the  wife  came  and  the  home  in 
the  woods  was  truly  founded.  The  old  military  road  from  the 
Mississippi  to  Fort  Atkinson,  one  of  the  best  travelled  trails  in  the  state 
passed  the  cabin.  It  soon  became  noised  abroad  that  the  Kinsley 
house  was  a  fine  place  to  eat  and  spend  the  night  and  the  little  cabin 
became  a  favorite  stopping  place  for  travelers.  No  one  was  ever  turned 
away  though  it  often  meant  personal  sacrifices  to  the  family  to  share 
with  them.  Mr.  Kinsley  tells  how  they  took  care  of  fifteen  men  and 
hoys  and  500  hogs  one  night.  "In  those  days  they  used  to  trail  hogs 
to  McGregor  for  many  miles  inland,"  as  he  tells  the  story.  "It  was 
quite  common  for  a  herd  of  them  and  their  drivers  to  pass  along  the 
road.  They  couldn't  drive  them  horseback  but  had  to  do  all  the  herd- 
ing on  foot,  at  the  best  never  making  more  than  ten  miles  a  day.  A 
couple  of  wagons  were  always  carried  along.  The  herders  watched  the 
hogs  carefully  and  as  soon  as  one  showed  signs  of  weariness  he  was 
loaded  into  a  wagon  and  given  a  ride. 

"A  funny  thing  happened  one  day.  A  couple  hundred  hogs  came 
down  the  road  and  just  as  they  got  to  the  turn  by  our  house  a  bunch 
of  hogs  made  a  sudden  run  toward  them  grunting  loudly.  Quick  as 
a  flash  the  whole  herd  stampeded,  got  away  from  their  drivers  and 
scattered  in  the  timber.  A  good  many  of  them  never  were  found. 
Hogs  were  very  wild  in  those  days  running  in  the  timber  all  day,  only 
coming  home  at  night  to  sleep.  The  woods  were  full  of  acorns  and 
they  throve  well  on  them.  They  did  lots  of  good  also  in  their  ranging, 
because  they  killed  great  numbers  of  rattlesnakes.  Many  of  the  acorn- 
fed  porkers  and  quantites  of  beans  raised  by  the  settlers  in  the  clear- 
ings, were  taken  up  river  on  the  steamers  to  the  lumber  camps  in  the 
pineview." 

Mr.  Kinsley  threshed  his  first  wheat  with  a  yoke  of  oxen,  put- 
ting the  bundles  in  a  circle  on  the  hard  frozen  ground  and  driving  the 
animals  over  them.  In  this  manner  he  threshed  out  eighty  bushels 
in  four  days  and  he  claims  this  is  the  cheapest  threshing  he  ever  did. 
This  primitive  method  of  threshing  was  not  very  novel  to  the  Iowa 
pioneer,  for  he  had  never  seen  grain  threshed  in  New  England  other 
than  by  hand.  In  telling  of  the  little  school  that  he  and  the  neighbors 
established  in  the  woods  for  their  children,  Mr.  Kinsley  relates  how 
they  paid  their  first  teacher  $1.50  a  week  and  board.  One  man  teacher 
was  given  two  young  steers  for  a  winter's  term  of  teaching.  The 
settlement  that  grew  up  around  the  Kinsley  home  is  now  known  as 
Pleasant  Ridge,  and  has  developed  into  one  of  the  best  agricultural 
sections  of  the  county.    A  fine  farm  in  the  vicinity  is  the  Jersey  Stock 


A   CHAPTER  OF  REMINISCENCES  42/ 

farm  of  Frank  Kinsley,  Mr.  Kinsley's  eldest  son  and  a  member  of  the 
Iowa  Animal  Health  Commission.  The  old  military  road  along  the  ridge 
is  now  a  finely  kept  highway  and  very  popular  for  motor  travel.  At 
one  point  a  grass  grown  trail  branches  off  through  the  timber  and 
descends  abruptly  to  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  terminating  at  the 
site  of  the  government  buildings  which  in  early  days  were  erected  for 
the  use  of  the  soldiers  at  Fort  Crawford  in  looking  after  the  Indians 
on  the  Iowa  side.  A  barn  with  accommodation  for  lOO  cavalry  horses 
and  an  officer's  home  were  there  at  the  time  Mr.  Kinsley  settled  beside 
the  military  road.  In  the  forties  the  soldiers  used  to  patrol  from  the 
landing  for  fifty  miles  west  of  Fort  Atkinson. 

In  1857  the  first  railroad  built  to  the  Mississippi  north  of  Dubuque 
was  completed  between  Milwaukee  and  Prairie  du  Chien.  Prairie 
du  Chien  immediately  became  the  market  point  for  all  the  wheat, 
hogs  and  other  products  of  northeastern  Iowa  and  Minnesota.  Part 
were  brought  down  by  steamer  from  Minneapolis  and  St.  Paul  and 
intermediate  points  to  Prairie  du  Chien  and  there  transferred  to  the 
railroad.  The  rest  were  teamed  to  McGregor  and  taken  across  on 
boats  in  the  summer  and  on  the  ice  in  winter.  On  the  completion  of 
the  first  railroad  west  of  the  Mississippi  from  McGregor  to  Calmar  and 
later  on  up  into  Minnesota,  the  amount  of  produce  to  be  transported 
from  McGregor  to  Prairie  du  Chien  grew  enormously  in  bulk.  To 
facilitate  handling  it,  John  Lawler,  agent  for  the  Milwaukee,  Prairie 
du  Chien  railway,  had  barges  built  with  railroad  tracks  extending  from 
end  to  end  of  them.  Approaches  were  constructed  on  either  shore 
from  the  railroads  to  the  river.  Down  them  freight  cars  were  run 
on  the  barges,  four  or  five  to  each  barge.  The  ferry  took  the  car- 
laden  boats  in  tow  and  carried  them  over  the  river.  This  scheme 
worked  all  right  during  the  open  season,  but  how  to  manage  it  in 
winter  was  another  problem.  To  solve  it  John  Lawler  of  Prairie  du 
Chien  built  a  pile  bridge  between  the  two  towns,  leaving  two  open 
spaces  in  the  channel  for  passage  of  boats.  When  navigation  closed 
in  the  fall  a  temporary  bridge  was  thrown  across  these  openings  and 
through  train  service  was  established  for  the  winter. 

However,  the  temporary  bridge  had  to  be  torn  out  each  spring 
which  made  it  inconvenient.  Necessity  proved  once  again  the  mother 
of  invention  and  Mr.  Lawler  devised  the  scheme  of  lashing  barges 
together  and  putting  them  in  these  openings.  They  were  supplied 
with  a  cable  and  drum  so  that  they  could  be  swung  open  to  allow 
boats  to  pass  through.  So  was  fashioned  the  first  pontoon  between 
McGregor  and  Prairie  du  Chien.  Though  some  changes  have  been 
made  since  the  bridge  is  still  practically  the  same  model  as  that  Mr. 
Lawler  built  forty  years  ago. 

May  II,  1871,  rails  were  laid  on  the  Dubuque-La  Crosse  division 
of  the  C.  M.  &  St.  P.  as  far  as  McGregor  and  the  first  locomotive 
rounded  the  hill  and  sent  its  shrill  whistle  echoing  up  to  the  joyful 
crowd  of  McGregor  people  who  had  gathered  to  welcome  it.  It 
was  pulling  the  construction  train  which  was  to  carry  the  fine  north 
along  the  Mississippi  river  from  this  point.  During  the  summer  of 
187 1  the  grade  was  completed  to  Yellow  river.  Work  was  resumed 
early  in  the  spring  above  Yellow  river  and  the  road  completed  to  La 


428  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Crescent  by  the  fall  of  1872.  The  first  train  was  a  combination 
passenger  and  freight  and  required  eight  hours  to  make  the  run 
between  Dubuque  and  La  Crosse. 

ELIPHALET  PRICE 

Eiboeck,  the  enterprising  editor  of  the  Elkader  Journal,  is  pub- 
lishing a  series  of  articles  relating  to  the  history  of  our  county.  Judge 
Price,  of  Guttenberg,  finds  some  errors  in  the  history,  and  he  writes 
to  his  long  time  friend,  Thomas  Updegraff,  Esq.,  as  follows : 

Guttenberg,  April  6,  1869. 

Friend  Tom: — In  the  History  of  Clayton  County,  which  is  being 
published  in  the  Journal,  the  author  has  fallen  in  to  an  error  in  regard 
to  the  locality  of  the  first  blacksmith's  shop  on  the  south  side  of 
Turkey  river.    There  were  three  smiths'  shops  in  operation  upon  the 
south  side  of  the  Turkey  river  at  least  two  years  before  there  was 
any  inhabitant  residing  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  Elkader.     The 
first  smith's  shop  on  the  south  side  of  the  river  was  erected  in  August, 
1836,  upon  the  south  bank  of  the  river,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Hender- 
son branch,  in  the  northwest  corner  of  Millville  township.     The  logs 
for  this  shop  were  cut  in  one  day  by  Dudley  Peck  and  E.  Price ; 
and  on  the  same  day  Captain  William  D.  Grant  made  the  clapboards 
for  the  roof.     On  the  next  day  Thomas  Van  Sickle  hauled  the  logs 
together,  and  on  that  day  we  raised  the  building,  put  on  the  roof,  cut 
out  the  doorway,  and  built  the  furnace.     A  few  days  after  Captain 
Grant  placed  in  the  building  a  full  set  of  blacksmith's  tools,  and 
shortly  after  Cyrus  Henderson  was  duly  installed  as  the  first  black- 
smith upon  the  south  side  of  Turkey  river.     A  day  or  two  before 
the  installment  of  "Si"  took  place,  and  Captain  and  myself  visited  the 
shop,  which   was   distant  about  one  mile   from   residence,   and   dis- 
covered that  a  scouting  party  of  the  racoon  family  had  made  an  attack 
upon  the  building  since  our  previous  visit.     The  sledge  hammer,  the 
vise,  and  the  anvil  appeared  to  have  come  out  of  the  conflict  with- 
out injury,  but  the  bellows  had  received  a  wound  which  had  penetrated 
its  bowels,  at  a  point  where  some  tallow  had  been  placed  for  the 
purpose  of  softening  the  leather.    The  "Cap,"  who  never  swore  except 
on  extraordinary  occasions,  regarded  this  as  one  of  them,  and  the 
result  was  the  bellows  was  rendered  invulnerable  to  all  future  attacks 
of  the  coon  by  an  impenetrable  blue  streak  that  settled  around  it 
during  the  time  the  Captain,  in  a  prairie-like  attitude,  was  examining 
the  incision. 

"Si,"  who  was  about  17  years  old,  had  acquired  a  literal 
theoretical  knowledge  of  the  Vulcanian  art  by  blowing  and  striking 
the  army  shop  of  Colonel  Taylor,  at  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  the  earliest 
display  of  his  artistic  skill  in  the  new  shop  was  brought  to  bear  upon 
a  bull-plough,  so-called,  the  first  agricultural  implement  we  had  owned, 
and  which  needed  a  new  lay.  The  work  was  commenced  early  in  the 
morning,  "Si,"  engineering  and  singing,  and  we  blowing  and  striking, 
and  there  was  no  difficulty  in  holding  the  plough  by  the  bar  with 
the  naked  hand  when  heated,  until  near  the  close  of  the  day,  when, 
what  remained  of  it,  was  found  necessary  to  hold  with  a  pair  of  tongs. 


A    CHAPTER   OF   REMINISCENCES  429 

At  length,  the  borax  having  given  out,  and  the  lay  still  stubbornly 
refusing  to  adhere  to  the  plough,  "Si"  seized  it  with  a  herculean  grasp, 
and  whirling  it  around  his  head,  sent  it  sparkling  through  the  air 
across  the  shop.  Then,  stepping  back  with  folded  arms  and  sooty 
face,  he  stood  and  silently  gazed  upon  the  charred  and  mutilated  plough, 
like  Vulcan  contemplating  the  shield  of  Achilles.  A  few  stones  that 
mark  the  ruins  of  its  furnace  is  all  that  remains  of  the  first  blacksmith 
shop  on  the  south  side  of  the  Turkey  river.  In  the  winter  of  1836  fol- 
lowing, a  shop  was  opened  at  Elkport,  and  one  at  Millville,  all  of 
which  were  on  the  south  side  of  the  Turkey  river,  and  were  in  opera- 
tion three  or  four  years  before  the  shop  was  started  in  Elkader.  Besides 
the  three  shops  I  have  named  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  there 
were  two  upon  the  north  side,  both  older  than  the  Henderson  shop. 
One  was  erected  by  Robert  Hatfield  in  the  spring  of  1835  and  one  by 
a  manufacturer  of  counterfeit  coin  in  the  fall  of  1834;  this  was  the 
first  shop  in  the  county.  The  owner  professed  to  be  a  blacksmith  and 
gunsmith,  but  was  in  fact  a  manufacturer  of  bogus  coin  of  the 
denomination  of  50  cents.  There  is  not  now  a  fragment  of  these  five 
shops  remaining ;  but,  what  is  remarkable,  it  is  believed  the  five  black- 
smiths who  first  worked  them  are  still  living,  and  are  named  as  fol- 
lows: William  Morris  (bogus),  Robert  Hatfield,  Cyrus  Henderson, 
Robert  Campbell  and  Frederick  Hodge. 

Your  friend, 

Eliphalet  Price. 


CHAPTER  XIX 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS    OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE, 
HON.  B.  W.  NEWBERRY,  AND  OTHERS. 

THE  ORIGIN  AND  INTERPRETATION  OF  THE  NAMES  OF  THE  RIVERS  AND 
STREAMS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY — NAVIGATION  ON  THE  TURKEY — HIS- 
TORY AND  TRADITIONS  OF  CASS  TOWNSHIP — EARLY  HISTORICAL  IN- 
CIDENT— THE  OLD  DUBUQUE  ROAD THE  STORY  OF  BLOODY  RUN. 

BY    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE, 

WHEN  time  shall  have  thrown  around  the  remembrance  of 
the  early  settlers  of  Iowa,  its  impenetrable  veil  of  forget- 
fulness,  when  other  generations  shall  appear,  and  look  out 
upon  the  natural  and  enduring  scenery  of  the  state,  there  will  be  inquir- 
ing minds  then  as  now,  that  will  seek  to  discover  the  origin  and  the 
interpretation  of  the  names  of  our  rivers,  creeks,  runs,  brooks,  branches 
and  Streams.  And,  should  the  antiquarian  of  that  future  period, 
while  searching  for  information  of  this  kind  among  the  thrown-aside 
and  mouldy  volumes  of  some  haunted  attic  chamber,  accidentally  dis- 
cover this  number  of  the  annals  of  Iowa,  he  will  acquire  from  a 
perusal  of  its  pages,  a  knowledge  of  the  origin  and  the  interpretation  of 
the  names  of  the  water-courses  of  so  much  of  the  state  as  is  located 
in  the  county  of  Clayton,  which  we  proceed  to  give  by  commencing 
at  the  northeastern  corner  of  the  county,  with  what  is  known  as 
"Bloody  Run."  This  stream  is  about  nine  miles  in  length,  flowing  in 
nearly  an  eastern  direction,  and  emptying  into  the  Mississippi  at  North 
McGregor.  The  origin  of  its  name  is  as  follows :  Lieutenant  Martin 
Scott  of  the  United  States  Infantry,  who  was  stationed  from  1821 
until  1826  at  Fort  Crawford,  in  Wisconsin,  directly  opposite  the 
mouth  of  Bloody  Run,  was  not  only  a  great  sportsman,  but  was 
regarded  as  the  best  hunting  shot  in  the  country,  by  both  the  white 
and  the  Indian  hunter.  This  stream  and  the  country  adjacent  to 
it,  was  his  favorite  hunting  ground,  particularly  at  that  season  of  the 
year  when  the  deer  were  mossing  in  the  water.  Before  leaving  the 
fort  to  cross  the  river,  he  would  often  observe  in  a  jocular  manner,  "I 
am  going  to  make  the  blood  run  today  over  on  my  hunting  ground." 
From  this  circumstance,  the  officers  and  soldiers  at  the  fort  bestowed 
upon  the  stream  the  name  of  "Bloody  Run,"  which  it  still  retains. 
Lieutenant  Scott,  who  was  stationed  at  Fort  Snelling  in  Minnesota, 
for  some  time  previous  to  the  Mexican  war,  often  when  recounting 


432  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

his  hunting  adventures  on  Bloody  Run,  spoke  of  the  stream  receiving 
its  name  in  the  manner  we  have  given.  He  was  a  brave  and  gallant 
officer,  and  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  Molino  Del  Rey. 

About  six  miles  southward  from  McGregor,  flowing  in  a  south- 
easterly direction,  the  "Sny  Magill"  discharges  its  waters  into  a  slough 
of  the  Mississippi,  after  winding  through  the  country  a  distance  of 
seven  miles.  This  stream  takes  its  nam.e  from  the  slough  into  which 
it  empties,  which  was  originally  called  by  the  French  voyageurs 
"Chinaille  Magill,"  which  in  English  would  express  Magill's  channel 
or  slough.  Donald  Magill,  a  Scotchman,  and  an  Indian  trader,  built  a 
trading  house  upon  the  bank  of  this  slough  near  the  mouth  of  the 
"Sny  Magill"  in  the  year  1814,  where  for  several  years  he  carried 
on  a  trade  with  the  Sacs  and  Musquakee  Indians.  The  Spaniards 
called  this  slough  "The  Sny  Magill,"  and  the  inland  stream  that 
empties  into  it  has  taken  and  preserved  the  name.  This  stream  is 
often  improperly  called  the  Sly  Magill.  Magill  died  at  St.  Louis  about 
the  year  1820. 

Farther  down  the  Mississippi,  about  six  miles  below  the  town 
of  Clayton,  "Buck  Creek,"  after  flowing  a  distance  of  nine  miles  in  a 
southeasterly  direction,  discharges  its  waters  also  into  a  slough  of  the 
Mississippi.  This  stream  received  its  name  from  William  Grant  in 
1837.  Grant  was  an  Englishman  by  birth,  and  a  millwright  by  trade, 
and  while  exploring  the  creek  in  search  of  a  mill  site  for  Robert 
Hatfield,  who  afterwards  built  a  mill  and  located  upon  the  stream, 
he  discovered  and  killed  a  large  doe  while  mossing  in  the  waters  of 
the  creek,  and  from  this  circumstance  called  the  stream  Doe  creek, 
but  soon  after  he  killed  a  large  buck  that  was  standing  at  bay  against 
a  wolf  that  had  driven  him  into  the  creek,  when  the  men  working 
upon  the  mill  suggested  to  him  that  as  the  buck  was  the  larger  animal, 
the  stream  ought  to  be  called  Buck  creek,  which  he  adopted,  and 
conveyed  the  name  of  Doe  creek  to  a  small  tributary  near  by.  Grant 
was  an  ingenious  mechanic,  a  hunter,  and  a  bachelor,  and  was  never 
more  delighted  than  when  engaged  in  the  trapping  of  otter  along  the 
creek.  The  capture  of  one  of  these  animals  always  furnished  him  with 
a  hunter's  yarn,  which  of  a  winter's  evening  would  often  stretch  itself 
out  far  away  towards  the  midnight  hour.  He  was  much  respected, 
and  died  upon  the  creek  that  he  had  named. 

About  three  miles  below  this  stream.  Miners'  creek  discharges  its 
waters  into  the  Mississippi,  within  the  corporate  limits  of  the  town  of 
(juttenberg.  About  500,000  pounds  of  lead  ore  has  been  raised  upon 
this  stream,  where  mining  operations  are  still  being  carried  on.  The 
discovery  of  lead  ore  here  was  made  by  Neham  Dudley  in  1835.  The 
stream  received  its  name  from  Daniel  Justice,  who  erected  upon  it  the 
first  cabin  and  engaged  in  mining.  Very  soon  after  Mr.  Justice  had 
become  permanently  located  thereon  and  bestowed  upon  the  stream 
the  name  of  Miners'  creek  John  Murry,  a  rival  miner,  also  located 
upon  the  creek,  and  not  being  upon  friendly  terms  with  Mr.  Justice, 
endeavored  to  have  the  stream  called  Coon  creek,  and  for  a  time 
it  was  known  by  both  names,  when,  the  parties  meeting  at  Prairie 
la  Porte  under  the  influence  of  liquor,  agreed  to  settle  the  controversy 
by  a  fight.     Mr.  Justice  proving  to  be  the  victor,  Miners'  creek  was  at 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  433 

once  recognized  as  the  permanent  name  of  the  stream.     (Mr.  Justice 
died  at  Denver  City  a  few  years  since.) 

About  six  miles  below  the  town  of  Guttenberg,  Turkey  river 
discharges  its  waters  into  the  main  channel  of  the  Mississippi  nearly 
opposite  the  town  of  Cassville,  Wisconsin.  This  river  is  about  ninety 
miles  in  length,  flowing  by  trunk  and  tributary  through  the  counties 
of  Howard,  Winneshiek,  Chickasaw,  Fayette  and  Clayton.  From  the 
earliest  acquaintance  of  the  white  trader  with  the  different  Indian 
tribes  of  the  upper  Mississippi,  this  river  was  recognized  as  being  in 
the  possession  and  occupancy  of  Saw-kee  and  Mus-qua-kee  Indians, 
until  the  year  1832,  when  it  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  United 
States  by  the  treaty  of  Rock  Island.  In  the  treaty  relations  of  the 
government  of  the  United  States  with  these  united  tribes,  they  are 
called  "Sac  and  Foxes,"  which  is  not  their  national  name.  The  Saw- 
kee  does  not  call  himself  Sac,  but  Saw-kee ;  the  word  Sac  has  no  mean- 
ing in  their  language,  while  Saw-kee  signifies  "the  man  with  the  red 
badge  or  emblem,"  red  being  a  national  or  favorite  color  in  the  adorn- 
ment of  their  persons.  The  Hebrew  of  Biblical  history  placed  ashes 
upon  the  head  when  mourning  for  the  dead.  The  Saw-kee  during  the 
period  of  mourning  for  the  dead,  covers  his  head  with  red  clay,  or 
clay  colored  red.  Mus-qua-kee  means  the  man  with  the  yellow  badge 
or  emblem.  These  tribes  could  formerly  be  readily  distinguished  by 
the  color  of  the  adornments  of  their  person. 

The  name  of  Fox  by  which  the  Mus-qua-kee  is  more  generally 
known  originated  as  follows :  James  Marquette,  the  Jesuit  chief  of  a 
French  missionary  post  at  Green  Bay,  in  June,  1675,  started  from  that 
station  in  search  of  the  Mississippi  river,  being  accompanied  by  a  roving 
French  gentleman  in  search  of  adventure,  by  the  name  of  Joliet, 
together  with  five  French  voyageurs  and  two  Indian  guides.  While 
ascending  the  rapid  current  of  Fox  river  with  his  companions  in  bark 
canoes,  he  found  the  shores  of  that  stream  inhabited  by  a  numerous 
tribe  of  Indians  calling  themselves  Mus-qua-kees,  and  the  adroitness  of 
these  Indians  in  stealing  from  our  worthy  missionary  articles  of  small 
value,  prompted  him  to  bestow  upon  them  the  name  of  "Reynors," 
from  which  circumstance  the  river  acquired  the  name  of  the  "Rio 
Reynor,"  and  is  so  recorded  upon  the  French  and  Spanish  maps  of 
the  day.  The  country  afterwards  falling  into  the  possession  of  the 
English  the  name  "Reynor"  assumed  its  English  translation,  which 
is  Fox,  and  now  without  further  digression,  we  resume  the  subject 
of  this  article,  by  saying  that  the  name  of  Turkey  river  in  the  Saw-kee 
and  Mus-qua-kee  language  is  "Pe-na-kun-sebo."  "Pena,"  turkey; 
"sebo,"  river. 

The  Winnebagoes  who  came  upon  the  river  from  the  Wisconsin 
after  the  white  man  had  begun  to  settle  upon  it,  were  aware  of  its 
name  in  the  Saw-kee  language,  which  they  translated  into  their  own 
language  and  called  it  "Ce  Ce  Carrah-ne-bish."  "Ce  Ce  Carrah,"  a 
turkey ;  "nebish,"  river  or  water.  At  the  time  the  white  man  came  upon 
the  river  in  1834,  it  abounded  with  game  of  every  kind  peculiar  to  the 
country ;  so  numerous  were  the  wild  turkey,  they  were  often  shot  from 
the  cabin  door. 

A  short  distance  below  the  mouth  of  Turkey  river,  Panther  creek 


434  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

unites  its  waters  with  the  Mississippi.  This  stream  received  its  name 
from  the  following  hunting  incident.  Addison  Sherill,  who  resided  in 
Dubuque  county  near  Sherill's  mounds,  having  discovered  in  his  barn- 
yard one  morning  in  the  fall  of  1835,  the  track  of  a  panther  in  the 
snow  that  had  fallen  during  the  night,  he  immediately  mounted  his 
horse  and  putting  his  dogs  upon  the  trail  gave  pursuit.  The  dogs,  after 
a  chase  of  several  miles,  came  up  with  the  animal  on  this  stream, 
where  Sherill  shot  and  killed  him.  Sherill,  who  is  now  dead,  was 
known  to  the  early  settlers  of  Dubuque  county,  not  only  as  a  great 
hunter,  but  as  a  master  marksman  with  the  rifle.  In  the  spring  of  1834, 
we  saw  him  at  the  town  of  Peru,  in  Dubuque  county,  agree  to  shoot 
with  his  rifle  at  a  grain  of  coffee  thirty  times  at  the  distance  of  twenty 
yards,  and  was  to  receive  a  dollar  as  often  as  he  hit  it,  and  pay  one  as 
often  as  he  missed  it.  In  the  thirty  shots  he  hit  the  coffee  grain  twenty- 
seven  times  consecutively.  The  loss  of  the  three  last  shots  was 
attributed  by  his  friends  to  some  liquor  at  the  bottom  of  a  jug. 

We  now  approach  Plumb  creek,  the  last  and  the  most  southern  of 
all  the  streams  flowing  into  the  Mississippi  from  the  county  of  Clay- 
ton. This  stream  received  its  name  from  John  Plumb,  who,  in  1836, 
purchased  out  the  claimants  to  an  extensive  tract  of  timber  land, 
through  which  it  flows,  and  commenced  the  building  of  a  sawmill, 
which  he  soon  after  abandoned,  owing  to  an  insufficiency  of  water 
in  the  stream.  We  had  some  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Plumb,  and  as  we 
knew  him  to  be  the  originator  of  the  great  idea  of  a  Pacific  railroad, 
we  will  venture,  as  an  expression  of  respect  for  his  memory,  to  briefly 
speak  of  him  here  in  connection  with  that  great  idea.  Mr.  Plumb  was 
born  in  Wales,  in  the  kingdom  of  Great  Britain,  and  emigrated  to  this 
country  in  1821,  at  the  age  of  12  years.  In  the  spring  of  1835  he 
became  a  resident  of  Dubuque,  and  in  1837  conceived  the  idea  of  a 
railroad  from  the  lakes  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  and  immediately  com- 
menced advocating  his  project  through  the  medium  of  the  New  York 
and  Boston  press.  Being  in  the  enjoyment  of  a  pecuniary  competency, 
and  a  ready  writer,  possessing  a  high  order  of  educational  attainment, 
together  with  a  fluent  command  of  language,  which  enabled  him  to 
present  from  the  public  rostrum  this  great  national  theme  with  a  dis- 
play of  argumentative  power,  convincing,  pleasing  and  captivating,  he, 
in  the  summer  of  1838,  convened  a  large  public  meeting  at  Dubuque, 
where,  for  the  first  time  in  public,  he  submitted  his  project  of  a  rail- 
road from  the  lakes  to  the  Pacific  ocean,  urging  upon  the  people  of  the 
West  the  importance  of  securing  from  the  National  Government,  in  aid 
of  this  work,  a  grant  of  land  extending  from  the  lakes  to  the  Pacific 
ocean,  before  the  public  domain  was  otherwise  appropriated  by  the 
government.  Soon  after  this  meeting  Mr.  Plumb  commenced  lecturing 
in  different  parts  of  the  Union  upon  this  subject.  In  the  cities  of 
Boston,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  Baltimore,  Washington  and  through- 
out the  West,  he  drew  around  him  the  mind  and  capital  of  the  country, 
and  while  for  a  time  it  stood  timidly  aloof,  startled  by  the  gigantic 
character  of  the  work,  gradually  it  drew  nearer  to  listen  to  the  feasi- 
bility of  his  plans  and  the  great  national  benefits  that  would  result 
from  its  consummation.  The  public  press  throughout  the  Union  began 
to  drift  cautiously  into  the  channel  of  his  thoughts,  when  the  discovery 


HISTORICAL   WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  435 

of  the  gold  fields  of  California  almost  immediately  caused  his  great 
project  to  burst  upon  the  national  mind  as  a  reality  to  be  consummated 
at  the  earliest  moment.  In  1849  ^e  visited  California  by  the  overland 
route,  leisurely  viewing  the  country  by  way  of  the  South  Pass.  Upon 
reaching  the  gold  mines,  he  again  resumed  lecturing  and  writing  upon 
this  subject,  giving  to  it  the  largest  portion  of  his  time,  during  a  resi- 
dence there  of  four  years.  In  1855  he  returned  to  Dubuque,  dis- 
heartened and  discouraged.  He  had  exhausted  a  liberal  fortune  in  his 
efforts  to  impress  the  national  mind  with  the  importance  of  taking 
speedy  action  upon  this  great  project ;  pecuniary  embarrassments  began 
to  loom  up  and  weave  around  him  their  enthrallments,  when  his  mind, 
yielding  to  the  throes  of  despondency,  reeled  from  its  once  brilliant 
pathway,  and  sinking  to  the  gloomy  haunts  of  despair,  with  his  own 
hand  he  terminated  his  career  among  men,  at  the  city  of  Dubuque,  in 
May,  1857.  Such  is  our  remembrance  of  John  Plumb,  one  of  Iowa's 
earliest  pioneers  and  while  his  name  is  fast  passing  away  from  a 
national  remembrance,  it  may  live  in  the  babbling  murmurs  of  the  little 
stream  we  have  recorded,  as  long  as  its  rippling  waters  shall  abide  in 
its  forest  solitude  by  the  drooping  foliage  of  the  elm,  the  linden  and 
the  mountain  ash. 

Having  given  the  origin  and  interpretation  of  the  names  of  those 
streams  which  empty  into  the  Mississippi  along  the  eastern  boundary 
of  the  county,  we  now  approach  the  tributaries  of  Turkey  river,  which 
are  more  numerous  and  which  permeate  a  larger  area  of  the  county. 
About  one  mile  from  the  mouth  of  Turkey  river,  a  small  but  beautiful 
stream  empties  into  it,  after  winding  its  way  for  the  distance  of  four 
miles  among  the  rugged  timbered  hills  that  recede  away  towards  the 
south.  Upon  reaching  the  river  bottom,  its  waters  become  silent, 
deep  and  of  a  bluish  color,  and  in  winding  its  clear,  cold  and  sluggish 
course  through  the  river  bottom,  it  forms  almost  a  circle,  from  which 
circumstance  it  is  known  by  the  name  of  "Blue  Belt;"  having 
received  this  name  from  Colonel  William  W.  Wayman,  who  was 
the  first  white  man  that  settled  in  the  county,  having  erected  a  cabin 
near  the  mouth  of  this  stream  in  the  fall  of  1833.  Colonel  Wayman, 
who  died  a  number  of  years  since,  we  shall  refer  to  more  fully  when  we 
reach  the  stream  that  preserves  his  name. 

About  a  mile  further  up  the  river,  there  is  a  small  stream  also 
flowing  from  the  south  and  named  in  honor  of  Joseph  B.  Quigley, 
who  in  1836  made  a  claim  location  upon  the  river  bottom  through 
which  it  winds.  Mr.  Quigley  is  still  a  resident  of  the  county,  being 
numbered  among  the  most  prosperous  and  affluent  farmers  in  High- 
land township,  on  the  western  boundary  of  the  county.  We  have 
never  met  with  a  person  whose  mechanical  genius  was  more  versatile 
and  variable  than  his.  During  his  early  years  as  a  resident  of  the 
county,  he  was  a  millwright,  a  tailor,  a  cabinetmaker;  milliner,  shoe- 
maker, carpenter,  cooper,  blacksmith,  boat  builder,  weaver,  wagon- 
maker,  and  we  have  seen  him  cut  and  make  a  calico  dress  for  a  woman. 
In  all  these  varied  arts  he  was  recognized  as  a  master  workman.  Soon 
after  he  married  and  became  a  father,  he  undertook  to  invent  a  new 
and  more  convenient  diaper  for  a  child,  and  failed ;  since  then  his 
mind  has  been  almost  wholly  given  to  agricultural  and  horticultural 


436  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

pursuits.    Like  the  few  remaining  early  settlers  of  the  county,  time  has 
touched  his  locks,  and  they  are  fast  whitening  under  its  influence. 

A  short  distance  farther  up  the  river.  Little  Turkey  empties  its 
waters  into  the  parent  stream,  after  flowing  from  the  south  through 
a  timbered  country  for  the  distance  of  eight  miles — its  source  being  in 
the  county  of  Delaware.  The  towns  of  Millville  and  Jefferson  are 
situated  upon  this  stream,  together  with  several  flour  and  saw  mills. 
It  received  its  name  from  Arthur  Rowen,  who  erected  a  sawmill  at 
Millville  in  1835,  being  the  first  mill  in  the  county.  Mr.  Rowen,  while 
exploring  the  country  in  search  of  a  mill  site,  came  upon  this  stream  at 
a  time  when  its  banks  were  overflowing  by  rains,  giving  it  a  width 
and  impetuosity  almost  equal  to  the  parent  stream,  from  which  cir- 
cumstance he  called  it  "Little  Turkey  River." 

A  mile  further  up  the  river,  a  small  stream  empties  into  it  from 
the  south,  known  as  "Redman's  Branch."  This  stream  took  its  name 
from  Henry  Redman,  who  settled  upon  the  river  bottom  near  its 
mouth  in  1834.  He  was  the  first  white  man  who  brought  his  wife 
and  family  into  the  county;  being  about  forty  years  of  age,  he  was  the 
oldest  resident  of  the  county  at  that  time.  His  cabin  door  stood 
always  open  to  the  unfortunate  and  the  stranger,  who  were  greeted 
with  a  kindly  welcome  and  liberal  hospitaUty.  He  was  a  thin 
wiry  man,  of  great  muscular  powers,  and  was  regarded  during 
his  earlier  years  as  the  best  fighting  man  in  the  lead  mines.  The  fingers 
of  his  hands  were  crooked  by  mastication,  while  his  arms,  face  and 
shoulders  showed  many  scars  made  by  the  lacerating  teeth  of  his 
opponents.  In  later  years  he  became  an  active  and  zealous  member 
of  the  Methodist  church,  and  often  at  class  meetings,  while  recounting 
the  scenes  of  his  early  life  with  expressions  of  sorrow  and  regret,  he 
would  straighten  up  his  bent  form,  shake  his  silvery  locks,  and  con- 
clude by  saying:  "But,  brothers  and  sisters,  thank  God  I  was  never 
whipped."  The  day  before  he  died,  at  his  request,  many  of  the  early 
settlers  convened  at  his  residence.  It  was  a  Sabbath  morn  in  early 
autumn;  the  crimson  leaf  of  the  maple  was  fast  eddying  its  way  to 
the  ground,  and  rustled  in  the  forest  pathway  that  led  up  the  little 
eminence  to  his  home  that  overlooked  the  waters  of  Turkey  river; 
Doctor  Griffith,  one  of  the  number,  offered  up  an  excellent  and  appro- 
priate prayer;  a  psalm  was  sung;  the  scenes  of  other  days  talked  over. 
At  length  the  parting  hour  came,  when  each  approached  his  bed, 
took  him  by  the  hand  and  bid  him  farewell,  and  as  each  turned  away 
from  the  scene,  tears  could  be  seen  coursing  along  the  pathways  that 
time  had  furrowed  upon  the  cheeks  of  Clayton's  pioneers. 

Upon  the  north  side  of  the  river,  a  short  distance  above  the 
last  named  stream,  may  be  seen  a  small  rivulet  known  as  "Park's 
Branch."  This  stream  takes  its  name  from  Thomas  P.  Park,  who 
settled  here  in  1838.  Captain  Park  was  one  of  the  early  sheriffs  of  the 
county — a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance  and  gentlemanly  address; 
he  was  kind  hearted,  benevolent  and  hospitable,  officiating  occasionally 
as  a  preacher  of  the  Baptist  persuasion.  In  1840,  we  saw  him  at 
Coulie-de-Sue,  on  the  Mississippi,  in  an  unfinished  building,  which 
was  being  erected  by  Messrs.  Jones  and  Bass,  win  the  entire  funds  of 
a  faro  bank,  which  was  being  operated  under  the  financial  manage- 


HISTORICAL   WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  437 

ment  of  a  professional  banker  from  Galena,  and  on  the  following 
Sabbath  we  heard  him  deliver  an  able  and  excellent  sermon  upon  the 
vice  and  evils  of  gambling,  to  a  congregation  of  his  neighbors  con- 
vened at  the  house  of  Henry  Redman,  on  Turkey  river,  distant  some 
thirty  miles  from  the  scene  of  the  bank  disaster.  He  was  a  man  of 
fluent  address  and  varied  attainments,  and  was  much  respected  by  his 
neighbors  as  well  as  greeted  with  kindly  feelings  by  all  who  knew  him. 
He  died  a  number  of  years  since  upon  the  stream  that  preserves  his 
name. 

About  two  miles  further  up  the  river,  a  small  stream  empties  into 
it  from  the  south,  known  as  the  "Henderson  Branch."  This  stream 
takes  its  name  from  Cyrus  Henderson,  who,  in  1836,  erected  a  black- 
smith shop  upon  the  river  bottom  near  its  mouth.  There  being  but 
a  few  settlers  in  the  neighborhood  to  give  him  employment,  he  soon 
abandoned  the  place.  He  was  a  boy  when  he  started  this  enterprise, 
but  now  his  locks  have  whitened,  and  the  ring  of  his  anvil  may  still 
be  heard  among  the  echoes  of  the  high  hills  in  Millville  township,  that 
overlook  the  sequestered  valley  and  the  winding  stream  that  ripples 
by  his  home. 

A  short  distance  above  this  stream  Peck's  Branch  unites  its  waters 
with  the  Turkey,  after  flowing  in  a  northerly  direction  a  distance  of 
eight  miles,  through  high  mountainous  hills  covered  with  a  dense  and 
heavy  growth  of  timber.  This  stream  takes  its  name  from  Dudley 
Peck,  who  located  upon  the  river  bottom  near  its  mouth  in  1835.  He 
was  a  young  man  from  western  New  York,  and  as  a  hunter  had  no 
superior  in  the  country.  Up  to  the  period  of  his  death,  he  persistently 
refused  to  hunt  with  a  gun  having  a  percussion  lock,  always  using  the 
old  fashioned  flintlock  rifle,  whose  superior  qualities  he  would  often 
defend  by  referring  to  the  achievements  of  Cooper's  heroes,  Hawkeye, 
Leatherstocking  and  the  Trapper.  No  argument  could  subdue  his 
aversion  to  a  shotgun ;  on  one  occasion,  while  dining  with  him  at  his 
bachelor  cabin,  a  person  from  Cassville  came  in  with  a  double  barrel 
shotgun,  which  he  stood  up  against  the  chimney  jamb.  Peck  immediately 
arose  from  the  table  and  observed,  "Stranger,  if  you  have  no  objections 
I  will  place  your  gun  outside  of  my  cabin ;"  which  he  did  without  wait- 
ing for  a  reply,  and  then  invited  the  stranger  to  "sit  up  and  eat." 
Towards  the  close  of  his  days,  he  was  afflicted  with  a  painful,  lingering 
disease,  which  he  knew  was  to  terminate  his  life,  and  on  one  occasion, 
while  brooding  over  the  certainty  of  his  never  again  being  able  to 
hunt,  he  expressed  to  us  with  much  feeling  his  regret  at  never  having 
killed  a  panther;  he  seemed  unwilling  to  die  before  he  had  added  this 
achievement  to  the  many  victories  he  had  obtained  over  the  animals  of 
the  forest.  He  was  our  earliest,  nearest  neighbor,  and  many  have 
been  the  pleasant  wintry  evenings  that  we  have  sat  by  the  huge  log 
fire  of  his  cabin  and  listened  to  the  thrilling  details  of  his  hunting 
adventures. 

Directly  opposite  Peck's  Branch,  flowing  from  the  north,  is  a 
small  stream  known  as  "Price's  Branch."  This  stream  takes  its  name 
from  the  writer  of  this  article,  who  settled  here  in  1835  ^"^^  who 
afterwards  located  at  the  source  of  the  stream  upon  the  highland 
prairie.    As  there  is  nothing  in  the  history  of  this  person  that  is  not 


438  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

common  to  other  men,  we  pass  on  to  the  Carhn  creek,  distant  about 
one  mile  further  up  the  river.  This  stream,  flowing  from  the  south, 
takes  its  name  from  William  Carlin,  who  located  here  in  1836,  and  soon 
after  abandoned  the  place.  Mr.  Carlin  was  born  and  raised  upon  the 
frontier,  and  was  a  hunter  by  profession;  he  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  and  was  a  nephew  of  Governor  Carlin,  of  Illinois.  He  died  a 
number  of  years  since. 

Our  last  communication  having  closed  with  the  origin  of  the  name 
of  Carlin  creek,  we  find  upon  resuming  the  subject  that  we  have  now 
reached  the  waters  of  Cedar  creek,  a  stream  rising  on  the  highland 
prairie  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  of  Garnavillo,  and  flowing  southward 
until  it  reaches  the  waters  of  the  Turkey,  distant  about  ten  miles 
from  the  source  of  the  creek.  For  several  miles  this  stream  flows 
through  a  narrow  valley  bounded  upon  each  side  by  high  mountainous 
hills,  covered  with  a  dense  growth  of  timber.  It  received  its  name 
from  John  Finley,  who  in  the  summer  of  1834,  made  an  exploration 
of  the  stream  with  a  view  to  a  discovery  of  its  manufacturing  powers ; 
finding  the  sides  and  craggy  summits  of  its  high  hills  canopied  by  a 
luxuriant  growth  of  the  red  cedar  he  gave  to  the  stream  the  name 
of  Cedar  creek.  There  is  a  tributary  of  this  stream  known  by  the 
name  of  Read's  branch ;  this  stream  received  its  name  from  Robert  R. 
Read,  who  settled  upon  the  prairie  at  the  head  waters  of  the  branch 
in  1839.  Captain  Read  will  long  be  remembered  as  the  popular  clerk 
(for  many  years)  of  the  Board  of  County  Commissioners,  when  that 
power  was  in  existence,  and  subsequently  for  many  years  clerk  of  the 
District  Court.  In  consideration  of  his  many  years  of  faithful  official 
service,  the  Hon.  Judge  Williams,  when  defining  the  boundaries  of 
the  civil  townships  of  the  county,  bestowed  upon  the  most  central  one 
of  them  the  name  of  "Read  Township."  Captain  Read  was  an  English- 
man by  birth  and  for  many  years  a  resident  of  the  frontier;  he  had 
seen  the  march  of  civilization  approach  him  from  the  east,  and  heard 
the  first  echoes  of  the  woodman's  axe  reverberate  among  the  forest 
solitudes  of  Iowa  "as  westward  it  took  its  way."  He  died  a  few  years 
since  at  Garnavillo  and  was  honored  with  Masonic  rites  of  burial,  being 
a  member  of  that  fraternity. 

About  three  miles  above  the  mouth  of  Cedar  creek,  the  Wayman 
branch  coming  from  the  south  unites  its  waters  with  the  Turkey.  This 
stream  received  its  name  from  Colonel  William  W.  Wayman,  who  was 
the  first  white  man  that  settled  in  the  county  of  Clayton.  He  was 
a  native  of  New  Hampshire,  a  man  of  liberal  education  and  polished 
manners ;  in  his  habits  and  in  the  expression  of  his  face,  it  was  easy  to 
detect  one  of  those  freaks  of  human  nature  that  occasionally  appears 
among  the  descendants  of  the  Pilgrims  of  New  England  disturbing 
the  purity  of  the  Saxon  blood  by  portraying  in  every  lineament  the 
American  characteristics  of  the  Nar-agan-set  of  the  Wam-pa-noag. 
Among  white  men  he  was  reticent,  watchful  and  restless.  In  the 
society  of  the  Indian,  he  was  authoritative,  stern  and  commanding.  He 
never  performed  any  manual  labor  other  than  that  which  pertained 
to  the  indoor  aflfairs  of  his  house.  The  Indian,  the  half-breed  and  the 
hunter,  regarded  him  as  a  mysterious  being ;  they  would  toil  and  labor 
for  him  without  any  other  reward  than  the  pleasure  of  being  near  his 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  439 

person.  The  largest  portion  of  his  Hfetime  had  been  spent  upon  the 
frontier  in  the  society  of  the  Indian  and  the  hunter,  and  yet  he  could 
never  be  prevailed  to  give  any  information  concerning  the  Indians, 
their  manners  and  customs,  or  traditions.  The  intimacy  and  social 
intercourse  that  we  had  with  him  for  a  number  of  years  on  the  border, 
only  seemed  to  render  more  impenetrable  the  shield  of  mystery  that  he 
had  woven  around  the  events  of  his  life.  He  was  the  father  of  a  half- 
breed  daughter,  whom  he  educated. 

To  detail  the  discoveries  that  we  made  in  after  years  concerning 
the  history  of  this  person,  would  be  too  voluminous  and  romantic  for 
the  historical  columns  of  the  annals. 

In  the  fall  of  1845,  about  the  midnight  hour  of  a  dreary  day,  we 
received  from  the  hands  of  an  Indian  runner,  the  following  com- 
munication :  "Come  quick,  I  am  dying.  Ann  will  give  you  my  keys. — 
W.  W.  Wayman." 

We  hastened  to  him,  but  he  was  dead  when  we  reached  his  resi- 
dence. The  keys  unlocked,  in  part,  the  history  of  a  strange  adventurous 
life,  and  told  us  that  his  name  was  "William  Wallace  Hutcherson," 
a  descendant  of  the  Mayflower.  Above  the  Wayman  branch  the 
waters  of  Elk  creek  after  flowing  in  a  northerly  direction  about 
eight  miles,  empty  into  the  Turkey.  This  stream  received  its  name 
from  Louis  Reynolds,  who  in  the  summer  of  1834,  while  exploring  the 
creek  in  search  of  a  mill  site,  came  upon  a  herd  of  elk  that  were 
mossing  in  its  waters,  from  which  circumstance  he  named  the  stream 
Elk  creek.  Reynolds  was  a  bachelor  of  a  romantic  turn  of  mind,  who 
manifested  on  all  social  occasions,  the  most  extravagant  politeness. 
His  educational  attainments  seemed  to  center  in  a  knowledge  of 
Goethe's  "Sorrows  of  Werter,"  a  small  volume  of  which  he  constantly 
carried  about  his  person,  and  which  had  been  so  liberally  saturated 
with  coon's  oil  and  deer's  tallow,  that  much  of  its  contents  had  become 
wholly  obliterated.  Enough,  however,  remained  to  enable  him,  as  he 
believed,  to  triumph  in  discussion,  no  matter  what  the  subject  might 
be.  In  the  fall  of  1835,  near  the  close  of  a  day's  hunt,  we  came  upon 
his  cabin  situated  upon  the  Blue  Belt,  and  was  invited  to  place  our 
rifle  on  the  gun  rack.  During  the  early  part  of  the  evening  an  Indian 
came  in  with  a  ham  of  venison  which  he  wished  to  exchange  for  corn 
meal.  Reynolds  had  just  succeeded  in  extracting  a  splinter  from 
beneath  the  nail  of  one  of  his  fingers,  which  had  become  located  there 
while  in  the  act  of  scraping  from  the  bottom  of  his  meal  barrel  material 
sufficient  to  make  a  dodger  for  two,  and  accordingly  the  Indian  could 
not  be  accommodated.  But  as  Reynolds  stood  in  need  of  the  venison, 
it  occurred  to  him  that  he  could  satisfy  the  Indian  by  reading  to  him 
a  page  or  two  from  his  inexhaustible  book,  "The  Sorrows  of  Werter." 
Accordingly  he  took  the  ham,  hung  it  up,  and  after  seating  the  Indian 
upon  a  keg,  squatted  himself  down  in  the  chimney  corner,  where,  by 
leaning  in  a  sideling  manner  towards  the  blaze  of  the  fire,  he  was 
enabled  to  read  from  the  Teutonic  volume,  occasionally  pausing  to 
explain  and  gesticulate  away  the  difficulties  that  seemed  to  obscure  the 
latent  beauties  of  some  flowing  passage.  The  Indian  who  could  under- 
stand nothing,  had  fixed  his  eyes  intently  upon  the  fire,  while  his  mind 
seemingly  in  its  efforts  to  grasp  the  subject,  had  plunged  into  the  most 


440  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

profound  thought  upon  some  other  theme.  Reynolds  after  having 
amply  paid  for  the  ham,  as  he  believed,  arose,  and  taking  the  Indian 
by  the  arm  led  him  to  the  door,  where  with  profuse  display  of  polite- 
ness, he  thanked  him  for  the  venison.  The  Indian  after  casting  a  sor- 
rowful glance  back  in  the  direction  of  the  meat,  departed. 

Now  Reynolds  had  but  one  shirt  in  the  world,  a  calico  garment 
with  an  ample  display  of  ruffles  running  perpendicularly  through  the 
center  of  its  bosom,  and  having  learned  that  a  family  would  locate  in 
his  neighborhood  in  a  few  days,  among  which  there  was  a  female  of 
an  attractive  character,  he  at  once  determined  to  be  ready  to  receive 
them;  accordingly  he  had  just  com.pleted  the  washing  of  his  shirt  in 
the  creek  and  had  hung  it  upon  a  bush  to  dry.  In  the  morning  the 
garment  was  gone.  The  few  moccasin  tracks  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
bush,  bespoke  the  visitation  of  an  Indian,  incapable  of  appreciating 
the  "Sorrows  of  Werter."     Reynolds  soon  after  left  the  country. 

There  is  a  tributary  of  the  Elk  known  as  Wolf  creek.  It  received 
its  name  from  Dennis  Quigley,  who  was  the  first  settler  upon  the 
stream.  During  the  first  evening  of  his  residence  here,  a  surprise  party 
of  wolves  called  upon  the  few  sheep  that  he  had  brought  with  him,  and 
welcomed  them  to  their  new  home.  From  which  circumstance  he 
honored  the  creek  with  the  name  of  its  inhabitants. 

About  a  mile  above  the  Elk,  Volga  river  unites  its  waters  with  the 
Turkey.  This  stream  which  is  about  thirty-five  miles  in  length,  rises 
in  the  center  of  Fayette  county.  During  the  early  settlement  of  the 
country  it  was  known  by  the  name  of  the  South  Fork  of  Turkey.  In 
1836  when  M.  Lyon  established  by  survey  the  township  lines  of  north- 
ern Iowa,  he  bestowed  upon  it  the  name  of  Volga  river,  which  was 
adopted  by  the  settlers  of  the  county.  It  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
streams  of  northern  Iowa.  There  are  a  number  of  towns  and  villages 
situated  upon  its  banks,  among  which  none  more  prominent  than  the 
town  of  Fayette  in  Fayette  county.  It  is  here  that  the  North  Iowa 
University  is  situated.  The  stream  is  sometimes  called  Classic  Volga, 
from  the  following  literary  incident.  A  student  from  Wisconsin 
attending  the  university,  had  prepared  a  poem  to  be  delivered  at  the 
closing  exhibition  of  the  institute.  His  fellow  students  who  had  mani- 
ftsted  some  skepticism  as  to  the  arcadian  qualities  of  the  people  of 
Wisconsin,  stood  all  on  envious  tip-toe,  eager  to  hear  its  sentiment 
and  delivery,  while  Professor  Brush  who  had  just  been  inaugurated,  felt 
that  the  moaning  pine  forests  of  Wisconsin,  pausing  for  a  time  to 
recuperate  among  the  ample  fisheries  of  the  state,  that  it  might  take  its 
way  with  wider,  loftier  flight  through  town  and  hamlet — westward, 
ho!  The  Badger  Boy  proud  of  his  native  state,  self-poised  and  con- 
fident, ascended  the  rostrum  and  commenced  his  poetic  essay  as  fol- 
lows: 

"There  where  the  classic  Volga  goes 
With  logs  and  sticks  and  overflows, 
And  in  the  farmhouse  runs  its  nose — 

Here  the  professor  commenced  coughing  so  loud  and  incessant 
that  nothing  more  of  the  poem  could  be  heard.     Sufficient,  however, 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  44I 

was  preserved  to  secure  for  our  beautiful  Volga  the  proud  literary 
prefix,  "Classic." 

A  short  distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  Volga,  there  is  a  tributary 
known  as  Bear  creek ;  it  received  its  name  from  the  following  hunting 
incident.  Missouri  Dixon  and  his  brother  Samuel  having  started  a 
large  bear  in  the  timber  of  Turkey  river  in  the  winter  of  1838,  followed 
its  footprints  in  the  snow  until  they  reached  the  vicinity  of  this  stream, 
where  they  separated,  Missouri  following  the  trail  and  his  brother  mak- 
ing a  circuit  in  the  hope  of  meeting  the  bear.  Soon  after  they  parted 
Missouri  came  up  with  the  animal,  which  had  coiled  down  to  sleep 
beneath  an  overhanging  ledge  of  rock.  He  fired  and  wounding  the 
bear,  it  immediately  turned  upon  him,  when  he  fled  in  the  direction  of 
the  creek.  Dixon  was  wont  to  tell  the  adventure  thus:  "For  a  half 
mile  there  was  something  more  than  daylight  between  us,  and  if  Sam 
hadn't  fired  just  as  I  was  crossing  the  creek,  there  would  have  been 
an  old  bear  hunter  spoilt." 

A  short  distance  above  Bear  creek,  Doe  creek  unites  its  waters 
with  the  Volga.  This  stream  received  its  name  from  Benjamin  Smith, 
an  experienced  hunter,  who  during  his  first  hunting  visit  to  the  stream, 
killed  a  doe  while  in  the  act  of  leaping  across  it;  this  incident  gave  to 
the  creek  the  name  it  bears. 

Two  miles  further  up,  the  Volga  receives  the  waters  of  Honey 
creek.  Dennis  Quigley  who  abandoned  a  brief  home  upon  Wolf  creek, 
in  consequence  of  the  hostility  of  its  inhabitants  to  the  wool-growing 
business,  established  his  permanent  home  upon  this  stream,  wnere  he 
still  resides.  The  great  quantity  of  honey  found  in  the  forest  trees 
adjacent  to  the  creek  prompted  him  to  bestow  upon  it  the  name  of 
Honey  creek.  Dennis,  who  is  a  genuine  Yankee,  disguised  under  an 
Hibernian  cognomen,  has  held  many  official  positions  with  credit  to 
himself  and  the  county.  The  young  swarm  that  has  gone  forth  from 
his  apiary,  have  settled  around  the  old  gum,  and  are  waxing  rich  in 
worldly  possessions,  as  well  as  acting  their  part  with  credit  to  the 
parent  hive. 

A  little  further  on,  we  hear  the  rippling  sound  of  Hewet's  creek  as 
it  comes  through  the  forest  to  swell  the  waters  of  the  Volga.  This 
stream  received  its  name  from  Joseph  Hewet,  who  settled  upon  its 
headv/aters  in  1839.  At  the  time  of  his  settlement  here,  the  nearest 
resident  to  him  was  distant  about  eighteen  miles.  Hewet  was  born 
and  raised  upon  the  frontier  of  Missouri,  and  was  a  hunter  in  the  full 
and  rounded  acceptance  of  the  word.  We  knew  him  early  and  well. 
Among  the  many  hunters  of  the  border  with  whom  we  have  been 
acquainted,  he  alone  could  have  stood  forth  as  the  representative  of 
Cooper's  ideal  hero  of  the  pioneers.  He  would  often  say  to  us  with 
a  dejected  expression  of  the  face:  "The  country  will  soon  be  overrun 
with  settlers  and  all  game  driven  towards  the  west."  As  the  settle- 
ments drew  near  to  him,  he  listened  for  a  time  to  the  distant  tinkling 
of  the  cowbell,  and  then  mournfully  shouldering  his  rifle,  turned 
towards  the  setting  sun,  calling  to  his  companions,  "Here  pups,  away 
dogs,  ye'll  be  foot  sore  afore  ye  see  the  ind  of  your  journey." 

A  short  distance  above  this  stream  we  meet  the  waters  of  Nagle's 
branch,  which  receives  its  name  from  John  Nagle,  who  located  here 


442  MEMOIRS   OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

about  the  year  1841,  being  the  first  settler  in  that  part  of  the  county. 
Mr.  Nagle  is  still  in  the  occupancy  of  his  early  location  here,  and  has 
been  eminently  successful  as  a  practical  farmer.  The  little  stream 
that  bears  his  name,  will  preserve  to  posterity  many  pleasing  rem- 
iniscences of  one  of  Clayton's  earliest  pioneers. 

Mink  creek,  after  winding  its  way  through  a  liberal  portion  of  the 
county  of  Fayette,  plunges  into  the  Volga  within  the  limits  of  Clayton, 
a  few  yards  from  the  boundary,  the  largest  portion  of  this  stream  being 
in  the  county  of  Fayette.  The  origin  of  its  name  cannot  be  traced  out- 
side of  the  archives  of  that  county,  which  are  securely  kept  in  an 
iron  chest. 

We  now  return  to  the  mouth  of  the  Volga,  to  resume  our  way 
along  the  windings  of  the  Turkey.  In  ascending  the  waters  of  the 
Turkey  river,  from  its  junction  with  the  Volga,  the  first  tributary  that 
we  meet  is  Panther  creek,  having  its  source  at  the  eastern  extremity  of 
Panther  mound,  and  flowing  from  thence  northward  a  distance  of 
about  four  miles.  With  the  exception  of  Turkey  river,  this  stream 
is  the  only  one  in  the  county  that  retains  its  Indian  name,  translated 
into  English.  Oliver  Phelps,  an  Indian  trader  from  western  New 
York,  who  had  a  trading  post  at  the  mouth  of  the  Volga  in  1835, 
became  acquainted  with  the  Indian  name  of  this  stream  through  his 
Indian  hunters  and,  in  translating  it,  called  it  Painter  creek,  by  which 
name  it  is  still  called  by  many  of  the  early  settlers.  The  animal 
represented  in  the  name  of  this  stream  is  generally,  throughout  New 
England  and  western  New  York,  called  a  painter;  along  the  valley  of 
the  Mississippi  it  is  known  as  the  panther;  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
throughout  the  Cumberland  range  of  mountains,  it  is  commonly  called 
the  catamount,  or  cat  of  the  mountain,  which  is  perhaps  the  most  appro- 
priate name,  as  the  word  panther  is  a  generic  term,  and  applies  to  the 
entire  family  or  genus  of  animals  which  are  of  a  spotted  character. 
These  animals  were  quite  numerous  along  the  waters  and  in  the  forest 
of  Turkey  river  as  late  as  1839,  ^^^  were  of  a  tawny  red  in  summer, 
changing  to  a  dark  steel  gray  in  winter.  The  Indian  tradition,  that  has 
handed  down  the  name  of  this  stream,  relates  that  at  a  distant  period 
of  time,  an  Indian  family  that  had  encamped  near  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  were  attacked  in  the  nighttime  by  a  panther,  and  a  small  child, 
belonging  to  the  family,  seized  and  carried  away.  From  this  circum- 
stance the  creek  was  regarded  by  the  Indians  as  an  unlucky  stream,  and 
avoided  as  a  camping  ground,  it  being  under  the  control  of  the  evil 
spirit.  In  proof  of  which  there  were  many  evidences  given  by  the 
Indians,  which  to  rehearse  here,  would  lengthen  this  article  beyond  its 
proper  limit. 

A  few  miles  above  this  stream  Pony  creek  unites  its  water  with 
the  Turkey.  This  stream  rises  in  the  counties  of  Fayette  and  Winne- 
scheik,  and  enters  the  county  under  the  name  of  Roberts'  creek,  which 
it  retains  for  several  miles,  when  it  disappears,  and  after  running 
under  ground  about  two  miles,  reappears  under  the  name  of  Pony 
creek.  John  Roberts,  from  whom  the  northern  part  of  this  stream 
takes  its  name,  becarme  its  first  resident  in  1839.  He  was  a  young  man 
of  some  education — a  bachelor  and  an  atheist.  Upon  a  shelf  that 
ranged  over  his  fireplace,  might  be  seen  a  few  smoky  volumes,  con- 


HISTORICAL   WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  443 

sisting  of  the  Bible,  Volney's  Ruins,  Paine's  Age  of  Reason,  and  a 
part  of  the  works  of  Voltaire.  He  had  pored  over  these  volumes,  until 
he  had  become  so  familiar  with  their  contents,  that  it  seemed  like  an 
easy  matter  for  him  to  vanquish,  in  Biblical  controversy,  an  uneducated 
opponent.  He  was  a  calm,  unexcitable,  good-natured  fellow ;  nothing 
delighted  him  so  much,  as  a  controversy  with  one  of  those  gospel 
pioneers,  that  were  often  met  with  in  those  days  upon  the  border, 
calling  to  repentance  and  a  remembrance  of  the  Sabbath  day.  These 
gospel  heralds,  were  often  converted  hunters,  who,  having  provided 
themselves  with  a  hymn  book  and  Bible,  a  tin  horn  and  an  Indian 
pony,  meek  with  years,  and  lowly  in  flesh,  would  sally  forth  along 
the  border,  hewing  away  the  roughness  of  the  pioneer,  that  he  might 
be  prepared  for  the  coming  of  a  more  educated  ministry.  As  this 
personage  was  a  prominent  character  in  the  early  settlement  of  Turkey 
river,  and  has  long  since  passed  away  with  the  hunter  and  the  Indian, 
we  will  here  (preliminary  to  the  re-introduction  of  Roberts)  give  the 
exordium  of  a  sermon  delivered  at  a  temporary  revival  on  Turkey  river 
in  1836,  by  our  old  and  much-respected  friend,  Uncle  Joe  Clark: 

"Brothers  and  Sisters :  The  sarmin  that  I  shell  talk  on  is  about 
this,  'Remember  the  Sabbeth  day,  an'  keep  it  holy.'  Now,  my  friends, 
it  were  last  Saterday  nite,  when  Ike  Miller  santered  over  to  my  cabin, 
an'  sez  he,  'Uncle  Joe,  spose  we  take  a  coon  hunt  ter  nite,  an'  sez  I, 
'Agreed.'  I  were  allers  mighty  fond  a  coon  hunten,  an'  so  we  tuk 
down  on  Little  Turkey,  an'  arter  santeren  around  thru  the  timber,  an' 
shyen  keerfully  along  up  the  creek,  an'  the  moon  hed  got  smartly  up, 
an'  nary  coon  out,  we  kinder  lean'd  to'ards  hum,  when  Ike's  dog 
opened,  on  spoon-run  with  his  nateral  yelp,  and  arter  we  got  tha,  the 
coon  hed  tuk  a  hackberry,  an  Ike  hed  chopt  his  foot  right  smart  the 
day  afore  helpen  Ole  Alan  Springer  throw  a  bee-tree  and  so  it  kinder 
fell  on  me  to  go  up  arter  the  coon,  an  when  I  got  up  tu  were  the  critter 
sot,  in  the  upper  forks,  an  were  about  to  grab  him  by  the  tail  and 
slat  him  down,  there  was  a  gospel  feelin'  cum  over  me  rite  smartly, 
an  sez  I,  'Ike,  'bout  what  time  mite  it  be?'  an'  sez  he,  'Why,  Uncle 
Joe,  I  reckon  its  close  tu  mornin ;'  an  sez  I,  'If  that's  so,  it's  the  Sabbath 
day,  and  this  here  coon  may  go,'  an  so  I  clum  down  agin.  An  now, 
Brothers  and  Sisters,  that's  what  the  scripter  sez,  'Remember  the  Sab- 
beth day  and  keep  it  holy,'  coon  or  no  coon." 

Here  Uncle  Joe  gave  a  toot  on  his  horn,  took  a  drink  from  a  tin 
cup  and  then  launched  forth  with  his  sermon,  the  theology  of  which, 
bore  a  close  resemblance  to  its  exordium. 

Uncle  Joe  was  always  a  welcome  guest  at  our  cabin ;  and  on  one 
occasion,  while  we  were  preparing  for  him  its  evenings  hospitalities, 
Roberts  came  in,  being  on  his  way  home  from  Dubuque.  He  had  hardly 
become  seated,  when  Uncle  Joe,  turning  towards  him,  threw  his  head 
downward,  so  as  to  bring  his  gaze  to  bear  from  over  the  top  of  his 
spectacles,  and  after  eyeing  him  for  a  moment,  he  observed,  "Young 
man,  do  you  believe  in  the  soundings  of  the  gospel  horn?" 

Roberts  paused  for  a  moment  to  make  a  survey  of  the  source  from 
which  this  unexpected  question  came,  and  then  led  off  with  a  reply, 
that  soon  run  into  a  warm  Biblical  discussion.  The  old  man,  who 
would  get  a  little  confused  occasionally,  would  stop  short,  give  a  toot 


444  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

upon  his  horn,  the  gospel  soundings  of  which  would  seem  to  arouse 
him  up,  when  he  would  start  off  anew,  with  seemingly  more  clear  and 
vigorous  ideas.  Presently,  Roberts  began  to  weave  around  him  the  net- 
work of  his  atheistical  doctrines,  and  at  length  having  got  the  old  man 
in  a  tight  place,  Uncle  Joe  began  to  breathe  heavy,  and  struggle  under 
a  liberal  flow  of  perspiration,  when,  in  the  midst  of  a  sentence,  he  came 
to  a  silent  halt.  Turning  to  look  upon  him,  we  discovered  that  a  cloud 
of  wrath  had  settled  upon  his  brow,  which  was  fast  spreading  down- 
ward over  the  features  of  his  face,  and  as  it  culminated  upon  his 
quivering  lip,  he  sprang  to  his  feet,  and  bringing  his  fists  together, 
exclaimed :  "You  ongodly  hethen,  I  ken  lick  more  salvation  inter  yer 
in  two  minits  then  ye  desarve,  and  I'll  do  it."  Thereupon,  Uncle  Joe 
began  to  throw  his  buckskin,  when  Roberts  made  the  outlet  of  the 
cabin  and  down  the  alley  going  to  the  door,  and  throwing  out  upon  the 
stillness  of  the  night  a  blast  of  triumph  from  his  horn,  when  he 
observed,  "I  know'd  when  I  got  riled  up,  I  could  make  that  ungodly 
hethen  take  water  mity  quick.  Yer  see,  capt'n,  (bringing  his  fist  down 
on  the  table)  the  gospel  will  win  every  time,  if  yer  only  give  her  a 
fair  show." 

The  origin  of  the  name  of  Pony  creek,  is  traced  to  the  following 
incident :  A  person  by  the  name  of  Gool,  having  settled  upon  the  creek 
in  1840,  and  commenced  the  opening  of  a  farm,  soon  after  began  to 
observe  a  decrease  in  the  number  of  his  pigs  and  chickens,  and,  upon 
giving  to  the  cause  a  proper  investigation,  he  discovered  that  it  was 
owing  to  his  farm  being  located  near  an  encampment  of  Indians,  who 
continued  to  increase  their  indebtedness,  until  it  had  culminated  with 
the  last  chicken  and  a  solitary  pig,  in  whose  prospective  family,  Gool 
had  fondly  cherished  the  hope  of  restoring  that  branch  of  his  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  It  was  this  incident  that  prompted  him  to  bring 
about  a  settlement  with  the  Indians,  which  he  did  by  quietly  levying 
upon  two  of  their  ponies,  and  conveying  them  to  Illinois,  where  he 
exchanged  them  for  cattle,  with  which  he  returned  to  his  farm,  and 
was  enabled  to  make  a  display  of  prosperity  that  loomed  proudly  above 
the  more  tardy  climbings  of  his  conscientious  neighbors.  To  perpetu- 
ate a  remembrance  of  this  sudden  prosperity  of  Gool,  his  neighbors 
bestowed  upon  the  stream  that  flowed  by  his  door,  the  name  of  Pony 
creek. 

There  is  a  tributary  of  this  stream,  known  as  the  Dry  Mill  branch. 
It  received  its  name  from  a  sawmill  built  upon  the  stream  by  Elisha 
Boardman,  in  1837,  under  the  millwright  direction  of  Horace  Brown- 
son.  During  the  erecting  of  the  mill,  there  appeared  to  be  an  ample 
supply  of  water  for  creating  the  power  necessary  for  working  its 
machinery ;  but  when  the  mill  and  dam  were  completed,  and  the  flow  of 
the  stream  arrested,  the  weight  of  water  in  the  dam  forced  an  under- 
ground passage  through  the  rocky  bed  of  the  creek  so  formidable  that 
the  mill  was  abandoned  without  having  rendered  any  service  whatever. 
Mr.  Boardman  and  Brownson  were  the  two  first  settlers  in  that  part 
of  the  county,  having  located  there  in  1836.  They  were  formerly  the 
proprietors  of  the  principal  part  of  the  land  upon  which  the  town  of 
Elkader  is   located,   and  where   they  are  both   still   residing,   at  an 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  445 

advanced  period  of  life,  respected  by  all  who  knew  them,  as  pioneers 
of  "thirty  years  ago." 

About  seven  miles  above  Pony  creek,  are  the  far-famed  "Big 
Springs,"  of  Turkey  river,  being  two  in  number,  and  but  a  short  dis- 
tance apart.  The  largest  of  these  springs  has  been  estimated  to  yield 
six  hundred  gallons  per  minute.  They  come  from  the  base  of  a  bluff, 
upon  the  north  side  of  the  river,  and  move  with  a  deep  and  sluggish 
flow  through  a  prairie  bottom,  but  a  few  yards,  when  they  unite  with 
the  waters  of  the  river.  They  are  regarded  as  a  great  natural  curi- 
osity, and  are  often  visited  by  strangers,  who  find  them  but  a  short 
drive  from  Elkader,  along  the  valley  of  the  Turkey. 

While  pursuing  the  windings  of  the  Volga,  in  our  last  article,  we 
omitted  to  mention  the  name  of  Cox  creek,  a  stream  that  flows  into  the 
Volga  from  the  south,  and  gives  its  name  to  the  township  through 
which  it  winds.  This  stream  received  its  name  from  Joseph  Cox,  who 
erected  a  cabin  near  its  mouth  in  1839,  where  he  resided  but  a  few 
months,  and  then  withdrew  from  the  country.  After  many  inquiries, 
we  have  not  been  enabled  to  discover  any  person  in  that  neighborhood 
who  knew  him.  We  were  at  his  cabin  about  the  time  he  located 
there,  and  remember  him  as  a  small  man  who  claimed  to  be  a  hunter. 

There  is  a  stream  known  as  "Hickory  creek,"  which  flows  across 
the  northern  boundary  of  the  county,  near  the  center  of  the  town  of 
Hardin,  and  empties  into  the  Yellow  river,  in  the  county  of  Allamakee. 
This  stream  received  its  name  from  Graham  Thorn,  the  founder  of 
the  village  of  Sodom,  which,  previous  to  a  visit  from  the  United  States 
cavalry,  under  command  of  Captain  Summer,  stood  upon  the  boundary 
of  the  neutral  land  near  this  stream. 

Thorn  was  a  contraband  trader  with  the  Indians — a  principal  pro- 
prietor, and  the  first  and  only  mayor  of  Sodom.  He  was  also  a  zeal- 
ous Jackson  man,  and  was  in  the  habit  of  calling  inanimate  things 
around  him  by  the  name  of  "Old  Hickory."  His  sled,  ox-yoke,  wagon, 
or  hat,  were  alike  generally  addressed  by  the  name  of  "Old  Hickory." 
Being  at  Sodom  soon  after  an  Indian  payment  in  1840,  when  the  town 
was  crowded  with  traders,  gamblers,  teamsters  and  Indians,  some  per- 
son during  the  night,  preliminary  to  relieving  an  Indian  of  his  annuity, 
had  taken  the  precaution  to  quiet  any  objections  he  might  raise,  by 
knocking  out  his  brains  with  a  hatchet.  Thorn,  while  looking  upon 
the  dead  Indian  the  next  morning,  addressed  him  as  follows :  "Well, 
Old  Hickory,  you've  gone  up,  have  yer ;  yer  orter  kept  yer  eye  skin'd, 
old  feller.  There's  folks  around  here  that  act  as  though  they  wam't 
brought  up  decently ;  and,  boys,  this  thing  must  be  stopped." 

We  have  now  concluded  our  remembrance  of  the  origin  of  the 
names  of  the  rivers  and  streams  of  Clayton  county.  It  is  now  years 
since  we  first  looked  upon  them  winding  their  way  silently  through 
the  prairie  and  the  forest.  We  have  seen  the  pioneer  hunter  approach 
them,  and  have  heard  the  first  echoes  of  his  axe  and  rifle.  We  have 
partaken  of  his  hospitality,  and  sat  by  the  blazing  fire  of  his  hearth  and 
listened  to  the  story  of  his  life.  We  have  held  to  his  fevered  lips  the 
cooling  waters  of  the  babbling  spring,  and  have  raised  his  emaciated 
form  from  its  straw  couch  that  he  might,  for  the  last  time,  look  out 
upon  the  forest-clad  hills  of  Turkey  river,  the  scenes  of  his  many 


446  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

hunting  exploits  and  we  have  often  helped  to  round  up  the  little  hillock 
that  marked  for  a  time  the  last  resting  place  of  the  hunter,  who,  if 
living,  would  tell  you  that  he  had  learned,  amid  the  solitude  of  the 
forest  and  the  prairie,  that  there  is  a  God. 

NAVIGATION  ON  THE  TURKEY 

By  Eliphalet  Price 

The  following  interesting  account  of  the  early  navigation  of 
Clayton  county's  principal  river  is  from  the  pen  of  F.  Snedigar,  an  old 
settler  and  an  eye  witness :  "The  first  boating  done  on  Turkey  river 
was  by  Thompson,  Sage  &  Davis,  who,  after  completing  their  mill  at 
Elkader,  in  1849,  found  upon  their  hands  a  surplus  of  flour,  with  no 
roads  to  convey  it  over  to  the  Mississippi,  and  but  few  boats  there  to 
convey  it  to  market ;  and  in  order  to  remedy  this  great  inconvenience 
in  those  days,  they  purchased  a  good  keel  boat.  By  great  persever- 
ance and  muscular  energy  they  would  push  the  boat  up  the  Turkey  to 
the  mill,  load  it  with  flour  and  float  down  to  Cassville  or  Dubuque, 
meeting  with  many  difficulties  and  having  many  narrow  escapes. 

"In  the  spring  of  1850,  they  had  brought  their  boat  up  to  the  mill 
and  had  loaded  it  to  its  full  capacity  with  barrels  of  flour.  All  hands 
were  ordered  on  board  preliminary  to  the  commencement  of  the  peril- 
ous voyage.  Captain  Sage  would  trust  no  one  but  himself  to  loose 
the  cable  and  launch  the  boat  upon  the  turbid  waters  of  the  old  Turkey. 
He  was  a  better  miller  than  boatman,  however,  and  he  let  the  boat 
swing  out  where  the  current  caught  the  broadside.  Captain  Sage  held 
on  to  the  cable  and  the  boat  went  under,  coming  out  bottom  upper- 
most, flour  and  all  hands  rolling  and  tumbling  in  the  water.  The  few 
inhabitants  of  the  town  being  mostly  present  to  witness  the  departure 
of  Captain  Sage  and  his  cargo,  speedily  rushed  to  the  rescue,  and  after 
much  toil  saved  the  men,  boat  and  flour,  all  in  a  somewhat  damaged 
condition.  This  was  the  last  boating  done  by  Captain  Sage  on  the 
Turkey.  Mr.  Thompson  continued  to  pilot  out  boats  thus  loaded  until 
1 85 1,  when  they  had  a  very  passable  road  to  Clayton  City,  and  the 
flour  was  thenceforth  taken  in  a  wagon  across  the  country. 

"In  the  spring  of  185 1  Michael  Keen  and  his  two  sons,  George  and 
Adam,  started  the  first  steam  engine  in  Elkader,  and  with  this  begin- 
ning they  started  a  foundry.  This  was  afterwards  removed  to  Clayton 
City,  but  while  it  was  at  Elkader  Adam  Keen  built  two  small  engines 
and  then  constructed  a  steamboat  to  run  on  the  Turkey.  It  was 
called  Elkader  No.  i,  and  was  launched  May  i,  1854.  On  its  trial  trip 
it  was  loaded  with  passengers,  and  all  went  well  on  the  trip  going 
down.  They  descended  the  river  as  far  as  Motor  (then  Hasting's 
bottom),  and  were  there  obliged  to  turn  back  on  account  of  the  dam, 
which  had  been  built  the  summer  previously.  The  boat  then  steamed 
up  the  river  as  far  as  Michael  Stence's  farm,  where,  the  water  being 
swift,  they  could  go  no  farther  and  were  obliged  to  tie  up.  Some  of 
the  passengers  accepted  of  Mr.  Stence's  hospitality,  and  the  rest  under- 
took to  find  their  way  home  on  foot.  The  distance  home  was  but  two 
and  a  half  miles,  but  they  were  not  allowed  to  traverse  this  distance 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  447 

without  hindrance.  The  elements  seemed  to  disregard  the  deplorable 
condition  of  this  unfortunate  crew.  Night  now  came  on,  and  with  it 
one  of  those  heavy  rains  so  common  at  this  season  of  the  year  com- 
menced pouring  down  in  torrents,  all  the  artillery  of  the  heavens  belch- 
ing forth  their  awful  thunders  upon  the  unprotected  heads  of  those 
sturdy  pioneers  who  were  now  in  the  midst  of  the  dense  forest  skirt- 
ing Turkey  river  between  Elkader  and  Stence's  farm,  drenched  inside 
and  out.  Finally,  by  the  aid  of  the  lightning  flashes,  a  part  made  their 
way  back  to  the  hospitable  roof  of  Mr.  Stence,  while  the  remainder, 
after  fruitless  attempts  to  reach  home,  sat  down  and  patiently  awaited 
the  dawn  of  another  day.  The  prospect  must  have  been  dark  indeed, 
at  least  so  far  as  the  navigation  of  the  Turkey  was  concerned. 

"Thus  ended  the  first  trip  of  the  Elkader  No.  i.  But  the  hard- 
ships of  pioneer  life  had  instilled  too  much  grit  into  Captain  Keen  and 
the  settlers  of  Turkey  river  valley  to  give  up  thus.  To  encourage  the 
enterprise,  E.  G.  Rolf,  merchant  of  the  village,  offered  Captain  Keen 
one  barrel  of  'tanglefoot,'  provided  he  would  land  his  boat  at  the  rear 
of  his  store.     This  being  some  inducement,  and  the  captain's  pluck 

being  challenged,  he  determined  to  land  her  there  or  land  her  in ! 

Getting  a  good  supply  of  dry  wood  on  board  and  an  experienced  fire- 
man, steam  was  once  more  raised,  and  up  the  river  came  the  little  craft. 
The  news  was  brought  to  town  by  some  footmen  that  the  steamer  was 
coming.  All  was  confusion  and  anxiety.  Every  eye  was  on  the 
lookout,  and  at  about  one  o'clock  she  hove  in  sight,  making  at  least 
twenty  rods  per  hour,  and  finally  making  a  very  respectable  landing  at 
the  rear  of  Mr.  Rolf's  store,  where  the  tanglefoot  was  all  ready  and 
received  the  hearty  congratulations  of  all  on  board. 

"The  new  enterprise  now  being  considered  safe.  Captain  Keen 
announced  the  departure  of  his  boat  at  four  P,  M.  for  Hasting's  bot- 
tom and  intermediate  points.  At  precisely  the  appointed  time,  the 
steamer  left  Elkader  on  her  second  trip  for  Hasting's  bottom.  Captain 
Keen  serving  as  commanding  officer,  engineer  and  fireman,  and 
Michael  pilot.  The  passengers  were:  Mr.  Ellis  and  wife,  D.  Daniels, 
and  F.  Snedigar,  whose  curiosity  in  the  navigation  of  the  Turkey  was 
effectually  and  perfectly  satisfied  for  all  time  to  come,  as  the  sequel 
will  show.  The  principal  freight  consisted  of  the  barrel  of  'tanglefoot,' 
which  stood  out  in  bold  relief  on  the  bow  of  the  boat,  little  dreaming 
of  the  imminent  danger  awaiting  it  of  being  submerged  in  the  waters 
of  old  Turkey.  Gliding  along  down  the  beautiful  river  under  a  gentle 
head  of  steam,  the  passengers  and  the  crew  became  all  absorbed  with 
the  beautiful  scenery  surrounding  them.  On  either  side  the  bluffs 
rose  in  towering  majesty,  the  slopes  of  which  were  all  ablaze  with  the 
bright  rays  of  the  sun,  while  all  along  the  shore  was  thickly  studded 
with  gorgeous  flowers  of  every  hue,  sending  forth  on  the  gentle  breeze 
their  sweetest  perfume. 

"Thus  they  glided  along  for  a  mile,  when  in  making  a  shore  bend 
in  the  river  the  little  craft  brought  up  suddenly  on  a  sandbar.  In  an 
instant  all  their  happy  contemplations  were  gone  and  they  realized  the 
uncomfortable  situation  of  then  and  there  being  bar-bound  to  all 
intents  and  purposes,  without  capstan,  spars,  or  any  of  the  necessary 
tackle  used  by  other  boats  on  such  occasions.     Notwithstanding  their 


44^  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

deplorable  situation,  there  was  relief  at  hand  in  the  persons  of  their 
gallant  captain  and  pilot,  the  latter  having  had  some  sad  experience 
in  early  days  on  the  Turkey.  One  adventure  of  his,  as  related  by  him 
in  person,  we  will  here  digress  long  enough  to  relate : 

"Michael  Stence  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  in  the  Turkey  valley 
and  in  the  absence  of  roads  the  river  was  the  surest  route  to  follow 
from  one  point  to  another  in  the  vicinity  of  it.  He  had  business  down 
at  the  settlement  at  the  mouth  of  the  Volga.  Being  there  detained 
until  near  night  and  not  wishing  to  get  lost  he  took  the  river  shore  for 
his  guide  home,  two  and  a  half  miles  below  Elkader.  When  about 
half  way  home,  darkness  coming  on,  he  discovered  something  in  his 
path.  Supposing  it  to  be  a  wolf  or  some  other  wild  animal,  he  pushed 
on  until  within  a  few  feet  of  it,  when  a  terrible  scream  from  the  animal 
assured  him  that  it  was  a  panther  of  immense  size.  Being  aware  of 
its  mode  of  attack  he  knew  that  there  was  no  time  for  parley,  but 
plunged  with  all  his  power  into  the  river,  and  made  quick  time  to  the 
channel.  The  panther,  though  not  daring  to  attack  him  there,  seemed 
determined  not  to  be  thus  cheated,  but  followed  up  on  land,  while  Mr. 
Stence  made  slow  progress  in  the  strong  current,  but,  by  dint  of  hard 
struggling,  he  made  his  way  within  hearing  of  home,  and  calling  his 
trusty  dogs  to  his  relief,  reached  home  a  little  before  daylight;  and, 
notwithstanding  his  hardships,  he  said  he  could  then  and  there  whip 
any  panther  that  inhabited  the  Turkey  valley,  with  half  a  dozen  wild- 
cats thrown  in. 

"After  remaining  a  few  moments  on  the  bar.  Captain  Keen  and 
Pilot  Stence  both  jumped  overboard,  each  having  a  good-sized  lever  or 
hand-stick,  and  by  a  few  well-directed  efforts  the  boat  was  shoved  off 
into  the  channel,  and  away  she  went,  wholly  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves, 
the  captain  and  the  pilot  both  being  at  the  time  off  regular  duty.  Just  then 
came  a  pesky  elm  tree,  which  had  stretched  its  trunk  in  a  horizontal 
position  right  over  the  river,  just  elevated  enough  to  rake  close  to  the 
top  of  the  boat,  but  all  efiforts  to  steer  clear  of  the  tree  were  of  no 
avail.  Crash!  it  came,  sweeping  smoke-stacks  and  scape-pipes  before 
it.  Amid  the  falling  chimneys  on  the  hurricane  deck  stood  Daniels 
and  Snedigar,  in  utmost  danger  of  being  crushed  beneath  the  falling 
chimneys  or  swept  overboard  by  the  tree,  the  stream  enveloping  them 
in  a  perfect  cloud.  Screams  came  from  the  lady  passengers  in  the 
cabin,  and  such  a  time  comes  only  on  such  occasions.  The  boat  was 
badly  wrecked  and  all  hands  badly  scared,  but  no  one  killed,  or  in  the 
least  hurt.  Floating  along  the  current  some  miles  they  finally  made  a 
landing  at  the  mouth  of  Pony  creek,  where  the  passengers  all  disem- 
barked and  went  their  way,  rejoicing  in  the  fact  of  being  once  more 
upon  terra  firma.  Captain  Keen  ran  his  boat  near  Mr.  Stence's  and 
laid  up  for  repairs.  He  worked  energetically  to  put  the  boat  in  repair, 
and  July  4  made  one  more  effort  to  run  up  to  Elkader,  but  the  water 
being  low  and  no  inducement  being  held  out  to  him  he  failed  to  come 
to  time.  He  then  made  preparations  to  run  out  to  the  Mississippi,  and 
here  was  an  obstacle  to  meet.  The  mill  dam  at  Hastings  was  in  the 
way  and  must  be  overcome.  Not  to  be  outdone.  Captain  Keen  called 
to  his  assistance  an  old,  hard  pioneer  from  near  Elkport,  and  they  cut 
one  section  of  the  dam  out,  regardless  of  consequences.     They  ran  the 


HISTORICAL   WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  449 

gauntlet  and  reached  the  mouth  of  the  Turkey  in  safety.  The  captain 
made  one  or  two  trips  to  Dubuque  with  his  boat,  and  then  ran  her  up 
to  Clayton  City,  where  he  sold  her  to  Frank  Smith  &  Co.,  of  that  place. 
Tliey  remodeled  the  boat  and  made  a  ferry  boat  of  it  for  crossing  the 
Mississippi  at  that  point.  Thus  closed  the  steam  navigation  of  the 
Turkey." 

HISTORY  AND  TRADITIONS  OF  CASS  TOWNSHIP 

By  Hon.  B.  W.  Newberry 

Cass  township  was  organized  as  a  separate  township  in  1850.  The 
following  is  the  official  order  of  the  county  commissioners : 

"January  8,  1850.  Ordered  that  the  petition  of  William  Alloway 
and  others  praying  to  be  set  off  into  a  township  of  the  following  dimen- 
sions, to-wit:  including  township  91  north,  range  6  west,  5th  P.  M.,  be 
and  is  hereby  allowed,  and  that  the  first  election  be  held  at  the  house 
of  James  Alloway  in  said  township,  and  further  that  James  Alloway, 
Joshua  Betts  and  Wm.  Alloway  are  appointed  judges  of  the  first 
election  and  that  the  township  shall  be  called  Cass,  and  the  clerk 
is  hereby  instructed  to  notify  the  citizens  of  said  township  of  the  pro- 
ceedings of  the  Board. 

"A.    S.    COOLEY, 
"J.    W.    POTTS, 

"RoBT.  R.  Reed,  Clerk." 

According  to  the  code  of  1843  the  annual  election  was  held  the 
first  Tuesday  in  October.  We  have  no  record  at  our  command  of  the 
first  election  but  it  is  said  that  the  ballot  box  was  the  hat  of  one  of  the 
judges,  and  that  the  election  was  held  as  ordered  at  the  house  of  James 
Alloway,  which  was  on  the  farm  now  occupied  by  Miles  Alderson, 
about  half  a  mile  northeast  of  Strawberry  Point.  This  house  is  also 
notable  as  being  where  the  first  marriage  in  Cass  township  occurred: 
James  Dickenson,  a  widower  who  lived  on  the  place  now  owned  by 
Alex  Henry  in  Sperry  township  was  married  to  Malissa,  daughter  of 
James  Alloway,  the  Reverend  N.  W.  Bixby  officiating.  The  date  of  this 
marriage  was  May  12,  1850.  The  bride  was  the  only  marriageable 
woman  in  the  township.  A  goodly  number  of  relatives  and  friends 
were  present.  The  table  was  a  split  log  with  legs  inserted  and  the 
rest  of  the  household  furniture  corresponded  with  the  table.  The 
repast  consisted  of  vegetables,  chicken  and  pastries,  the  best  the  town- 
ship afforded.  The  very  best  was  none  too  good  for  the  first  marriage 
in  the  township.  Mr.  Dickenson  and  his  wife  moved  from  the  county 
in  May,  1851. 

It  is  said  that  at  this  first  election  in  the  township  for  the  office  of 
justice  of  the  peace  there  was  a  tie,  and  lots  were  cast  which  decided  in 
favor  of  William  Alloway.  Just  who  Mr.  Alloway's  opponent  was,  I 
have  been  unable  to  ascertain,  but  presume  that  it  was  Joseph  C. 
Tremain  as  being  the  best  man  fitted  for  the  position  in  the  township. 
Wm.  Alloway  was  a  man  of  considerable  ability,  had  acquired  some- 
thing of  an  education,  and  moved  in  the  50's  to  Council  Bluffs,  where 
he  held  the  position  of  police  justice  for  many  years.  He  died  in 
Council  Bluffs  in  1865. 


450  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Joseph  Hewitt,  an  Indian  trader,  settled  on  the  township  Hne 
between  Cass  and  Sperry  in  1840.  His  home  was  just  across  the  Hne 
in  Sperry.  His  son,  Moses  Hewitt,  hved  about  a  mile  and  a  half  west 
of  his  father's  on  the  line  between  Cass  and  Sperry  near  the  residence 
of  David  Mitchell.  He  died  about  1852  and  his  widow  some  years 
afterwards  married  Stephen  Young.  They  moved  to  McGregor, 
where  Mr.  Young  died  not  long  after. 

The  first  actual  resident  of  the  township  was  James  Tracy,  who 
located  in  section  6  in  1846,  on  the  farm  now  owned  and  occupied  by 
his  son,  James  W.  Tracy.  Mr.  Tracy  lived  on  this  farm  from  the  time 
he  settled  in  the  township  till  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1875.  Mr. 
Tracy  was  born  in  Ireland,  came  to  this  country  and  located  in  Illinois. 
He  was  a  typical  son  of  Erin,  honest,  open  hearted,  generous  and 
quick-witted.  He  had  his  failings  and  was  his  own  worst  enemy.  He 
always  took  pride  in  being  the  first  actual  settler  in  the  township  and 
called  himself  the  father  of  Cass  township.  His  son,  Joseph  H.  Tracy, 
now  living  at  Fayette,  was  bom  in  1848  and  was  the  first  white  child 
born  in  the  township.  Mrs.  Clarissa  Tracy,  his  widow,  died  a  few 
years  ago.  Mrs.  Tracy  was  an  active  intelligent  woman,  greatly 
respected  by  all  who  knew  her  and  bore  with  bravery  and  fortitude  the 
trials  and  privations  of  frontier  life. 

The  next  actual  residents  in  the  township  came  in  1847.  They 
were  Samuel  Hines  and  family.  His  mother,  Mrs.  Jane  Hines, 
WilHam  Alloway,  Sr.,  and  sons,  James,  William  and  Azariah,  and 
Moses  German,  son-in-law  of  Wilham  Alloway,  Sr.,  old  Mr.  Betts, 
known  as  Pap  Betts,  and  his  son,  Joshua  Betts,  and  Ebenezer  Betts, 
Joel  Harrow  and  his  four  sons,  Elmore  Harrow,  Asa  Harrow,  Anson 
Harrow  and  Joel  Harrow,  and  his  son-in-law,  a  preacher  by  the  name 
of  Brown.  These,  with  the  Tracys,  were  the  only  residents  of  the 
township  in  1847,  ^s  far  as  we  are  able  to  ascertain. 

Traditions  say  that  an  Indian  in  an  early  day,  took,  stole,  appro- 
priated and  rode  away  a  horse  without  the  owner's  knowledge  or  con- 
sent, near  Guttenberg.  The  Indian  was  pursued  and  overtaken  near 
Mr.  A.  R.  Carrier's  place  and  taken  to  the  South  Ford  timber  near  the 
Harrow  spring  and  then  and  there  by  sentence  of  Judge  Lynch  hung. 
Horse  stealing  in  a  new  country  is  oft  times  considered  a  capital 
offense. 

Wm.  Alloway,  Sr.,  located  in  section  i,  just  south  of  J.  R.  Alder- 
sons's  residence  on  the  east  side  of  the  public  road,  afterwards  occu- 
pied by  Dr.  Tyson.  Wm.  Alloway,  Jr.,  the  first  justice,  located  about 
40  rods  from  his  father's  on  the  west  side  of  the  present  road.  Moses 
German,  brother-in-law  to  William  Alloway,  Jr.,  and  the  first  con- 
stable in  the  township,  located  about  20  rods  north  of  his  place.  Mr. 
German  moved  about  1855  to  Harrison  county,  Iowa,  where  he  died 
in  1899. 

Samuel  Hines,  who  preceded  the  Alloways  a  short  time,  located 
near  a  spring  about  80  rods  west  of  the  present  residence  of  J.  R.  Alder- 
son  in  section  i.  His  mother  accompanied  him  and  he  built  her  a 
house  near  this  place.  Mr.  Hines  cultivated  several  acres  and  raised 
the  first  corn  in  this  vicinity.  The  corn  field  is  now  grown  up  to  tim- 
ber and  now  has  thrifty  trees  on  that  cleared  corn  field  sixty  feet  tall. 


HISTORICAL   WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  45 1 

Timber  will  grow  in  this  country  if  you  will  protect  it  from  stock  and 
fire. 

The  Alloway  and  Hines  families  were  Virginia  people.  The  Betts 
families  were  Ohio  people.  Joshua  Betts  located  on  the  A.  R.  Carrier 
farm,  and  his  father,  generally  called  Pap  Betts,  settled  on  the  A.  E. 
Axtell  farm,  his  house  being  about  20  rods  north  of  A.  E.  Axtell's 
present  residence.  Here  in  1847  ^e  built  and  operated  a  blacksmith 
shop,  the  first  blacksmith  shop  in  the  township.  He  sold  out  in  1852 
to  Charles  Blanchard  and  with  his  son,  Joshua,  moved  to  California 
that  year. 

Azariah  Alloway,  son  of  William  Alloway,  located  on  the  80  acres 
in  section  13,  known  as  Hestwood  farm.  He  afterward  disposed  of 
this  claim  and  moved  to  Lodomillo  township,  locating  on  a  place  in 
Chipman  hollow  now  occupied  by  C.  H.  Donahue,  where  Mr.  Alloway 
died  a  few  years  since. 

On  Mr.  Alloway's  removal  to  Delaware  county  about  1850,  Dr. 
Tyson  moved  into  his  house  near  Mr.  Alderson.  Dr.  Tyson,  prior  to 
this,  had  lived  in  what  was  known  as  Wild  Cat  hollow  in  Sperry  town- 
ship near  Blanchard's  mill.  The  doctor  had  no  team  and  Thomas 
Hines,  a  son  of  Hiram  Hines,  although  only  a  lad  of  13,  took  his  fath- 
er's team  and  moved  the  doctor  and  his  family  and  effects  to  the 
Alloway  house.  Dr.  Tyson  had  a  step-son,  Levi  Perkins,  who  soon 
afterward  married  a  daughter  of  Mr.  Alloway  and  resided  with  his 
step-father.  His  wiie  died  soon  after  and  is  buried  in  the  Cox  Creek 
cemetery. 

Dr.  Tyson,  as  near  as  can  be  ascertained,  was  not  a  graduate 
physician  but  w^as  a  sort  of  botanical  doctor,  preparing  his  own  medi- 
cine from  roots  and  herbs.  He  planted  certain  kinds  of  herbs  and  one 
kind  to  this  day  cannot  be  found  in  any  other  locality.  Dr.  Tyson 
moved  away  in  about  1853. 

About  1849  ^  family  named  Watkins  lived  above  David  ]Mann's 
mill  near  where  Ball  creamery  w^as  located.  Mr.  Watkins  had  quite  a 
family  and  was  a  great  hunter  and  had  an  excellent  rifle.  One  of  his 
sons  accidently  shot  his  sister,  a  girl  eleven  or  twelve  years  of  age, 
killing  her.  Mr.  Watkins  disposed  >of  his  gun  to  the  Hines  family,  in 
whose  possession  it  still  is,  and  Mr.  Watkins  soon  after  the  accident, 
moved  from  the  country. 

In  1848,  John  Mitchell  and  Washington  Maxwell  and  their  fami- 
lies moved  from  Bowens  prairie  in  Jones  county  and  erected  cabins  for 
their  families  on  the  Brell  place  in  section  2  now  owned  by  Patsey 
Lane.  The  Mitchell  cabin  was  near  a  spring  a  little  southeast  of  the 
present  Lane  house  and  the  Maxwell  cabin  a  little  to  the  northwest 
near  another  spring.  Mr.  Mitchell  and  Mr.  Maxwell  were  brother-in- 
laws  and  had  selected  claims  on  Cox  creek  near  Maxham  creamery, 
but  on  account  of  fear  of  Indians  they  built  their  first  cabins  on  the 
Brell  place  so  as  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of  Samuel  Hines  and  the 
Alloways,  who  lived  from  one  half  to  a  mile  on  the  east.  The  claim 
selected  by  Mr.  Maxwell  is  the  Barney  Olinger  farm  on  Cox  creek  and 
Mr.  Mitchell  selected  the  adjoining  claim  now  constituting  the  O'Brien 
farm,  both  in  Sperry  township.  Here  both  families  lived  for  many 
years. 


452  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

About  1848  or  1849  Hiram  Hines,  Sr.,  moved  to  this  vicinity  from 
Jones  county,  near  Cascade,  and  located  a  claim  on  what  constitutes 
the  Byrnes  farm  in  the  southeast  corner  of  Sperr}'  township. 

Mrs.  Jane  (Halloway)  Hines  was  the  mother  of  Hiram,  Samuel 
and  Reason  Hines.  She  was  fairly  well  educated  and  was  a  remarkable 
woman.  She  was  born  in  Virginia  in  1761  and  died  on  the  farm  now 
owned  by  McCrae  in  Cass  township  in  i860  at  the  advanced  age  of 
99  years,  5  months.  She  was  about  15  years  of  age  when  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  was  written, 

MISSION  ROAD 

By  act  of  the  Territorial  legislature  in  1841  a  commission  was 
named  to  survey  and  locate  a  road  from  Dubuque  to  Fort  Atkinson  by 
the  most  direct  and  feasible  route  and  nam.ed  as  commissioners  Joseph 
Hewitt,  T.  G.  Roberts,  and  Samuel  Chilton.  At  that  time  Joseph 
Hewitt  resided  in  Clayton  county,  T.  C.  Roberts  in  Rockdale  and 
Samuel  Chilton  in  Dubuque,  both  in  Dubuque  county.  The  commis- 
sioners selected  Alfred  Brown  as  surveyor  and  in  1841  did  locate  said 
road  known  as  Mission  road.  The  road  ran  diagnoally  from  Dubuque 
through  Dubuque,  Delaware,  Clayton  and  Fayette  counties  to  Fort 
Atkinson  in  the  southwest  part  of  Winneshiek  county.  The  commis- 
sioners selected  the  highest  and  best  natural  location  for  the  road 
regardless  of  sectional  or  division  lines.  The  road  runs  through 
Greeley,  York,  Strawberry  Point,  Arlington  and  Fayette.  There  was 
considerable  opposition  by  the  residents  of  Dubuque  to  the  road  as 
located,  and  by  act  of  territorial  legislature  in  1843  the  road  in 
Dubuque  county  was  vacated,  but  was  left  as  located  in  other  counties. 
The  road  through  Delaware  and  Clayton  and  a  portion  of  Fayette 
county  remains  today  substantially  as  located  by  the  commissioners. 
The  road  intersects  the  township  line  of  Cass  township,  in  section  24 
at  the  railroad  crossing  near  Mr.  Knight's  place,  and  the  road  at  first 
located  ran  diagonally  to  Air.  Ward's  place  and  from  there  diagonally 
across  the  township  as  now  traveled  along  the  divide  between 
Maquoketa  and  Volga  rivers  intersecting  the  township  line  on  the  west 
near  B.  S.  Cole's  premises  in  Section  7,  and  the  road  constitutes  the 
main  street  of  the  town  of  Strawberry  Point  and  that  of  Arlington. 
The  road  on  the  east  part  of  Cass  township  was  changed  so  as  to  run 
where  the  road  intersects  the  township  line  north  about  60  rods  to 
where  Mallory  road  intersects  near  A.  R.  Carrier's  residence.  At  such 
intersections  at  an  early  day  a  guide  board  was  fastened  to  a  large  oak 
tree  which  read,  "York  4  miles,"  "Dubuque  54  miles." 

York,  then  a  little  village  of  immense  possibilities,  in  the  minds  of 
its  founders,  is  now  a  corn  field,  and  a  guide  board  would  be  necessary 
to  be  placed  on  its  side  to  locate  it  at  the  present  time.  "A  monument 
of  things  hoped  for"  while  the  other  name  on  the  other  guide  board, 
"Dubuque,"  is  a  wealthy,  prosperous  city  of  more  than  40,000  people. 
The  old  Mission  road  has  been  a  highway  of  vast  traffic  in  its  day  and  is 
one  of  the  most  noted  roads  in  the  state. 

In  1840,  Mr.  Hewitt  removed  to  Clayton  county  and  located  on 
the    line   between    Cass    and    Sperry.     Hewitt's    reason    for    leaving 


HISTORICAL   WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  453 

Dubuque  county  was  that  he  must  push  out  further  on  the  frontier  so 
as  not  to  be  crowded,  and  his  desire  to  trade  with  the  Indians.  He  is 
said  to  have  had  a  number  of  wives.  Mr.  Hewitt  maintained  his  resi- 
dence at  the  head  of  Hewitt  creek  in  Clayton  county  till  May  20,  185 1, 
when  with  James  Dickenson  he  removed  for  the  west. 

The  first  house  built  in  Lodomillo  township  was  erected  by  Mr. 
Lyon  on  part  of  the  premises  northeast  of  Edgewood  now  occupied  by 
J.  M.  Robinson,  and  known  as  the  Conrad  place  in  1839.  Lyon  sold  his 
claim  to  JMr.  Bemis  who  resided  there  and  who  disposed  of  his  claim 
to  F.  C.  Madison,  in  1843,  ^^^  "who  afterwards  sold  out  to  S.  R.  Peet 
who  came  to  this  country  in  1845  with  his  brother-in-law,  G.  L. 
Wheeler,  who  was  afterwards  postmaster  at  the  Yankee  Settlement. 
Daniel  Noble  and  Mr.  Mulliken  came  to  the  vicinity  of  Edgewood  in 
1842  and  the  Steele  families  about  the  same  time.  F.  C.  and  Wm. 
Madison  came  in  1843,  C.  T.  Peet  came  in  1844,  Jonathan  Noble  and 
family  in  1846  and  settled  in  Lodomillo.  Rev.  N,  W.  Bixby  came  to 
Yankee  Settlement  from  Vermont  in  1847,  took  up  a  claim  in  Lodomillo 
and  has  lived  there  ever  since,  a  period  of  54  years,  longer  than  that  of 
any  other  person  in  the  community  on  the  same  farm.  L.  R.  Noble  and 
L.  L.  Noble,  sons  of  Jonathan  Noble,  reside  in  Strawberry  Point  and 
the  other  son,  F.  G.  Noble,  resides  on  the  old  homestead.  The  Noble 
Brothers,  L.  L.  and  L.  R.,  operated  a  threshing  machine  in  1848  and 
continued  to  do  so  for  many  years. 

We  have  heretofore  named  nearly  all  the  pioneer  settlers  residing 
in  Cass  township,  prior  to  1850.  Giles  Ward  made  the  first  entry  of 
land  in  sections  24  and  26  in  1848,  but  he  did  not  improve  the  land  or 
come  to  the  township  to  live  till  1853.  The  first  tax  receipt  issued  in 
Cass  township  was  issued  to  Mr.  Ward,  bearing  the  date  of  1850  and 
signed  by  Robert  R.  Reed,  the  treasurer,  and  none  of  the  receipt  is 
printed,  but  all  written  out. 

In  1850,  J.  C.  Tremain  and  family  located  in  the  township,  their 
first  claim  being  the  Quick  farm  on  the  Delaware  county  line  in  section 
35  and  owned  by  Dr.  F.  J.  Newberr)^  The  Tremain  family  con- 
sisted of  himself,  wife  and  son,  George  L.  Tremain,  now  a  banker  at 
Humboldt,  and  his  son,  Clyde  Tremain.  J.  C.  Tremain  had  poor  eye- 
sight but  was  a  well  read  man  and  frequently  appeared  as  an  attorney 
in  justice  court  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  a  justice  of  the  peace. 
In  1855  he  located  in  Sperry  township  on  the  farm  known  as  the 
Barney  Morris  farm,  where  he  resided  till  i860,  when  he  sold  the  farm 
to  Hiram  Hines,  Sr. 

In  August,  1850,  Stephen  Gaylord  came  from  Galena.  Illinois,  and 
settled  on  what  is  known  as  the  Japeth  Ball  place  in  section  14  now 
owned  by  Lawrence  Glass.  Norman  Hawley  had  a  squatter's  claim 
of  240  acres  on  which  he  built  a  small  house.  Mr.  Gaylord  purchased 
Mr.  Hawley's  squatter's  right,  built  a  more  commodious  house  and  en- 
tered the  land.  He  sold  his  land  in  1854,  leaving  a  widow,  five  sons 
and  three  daughters. 

Stephen  Gaylord  was  the  first  assessor  in  the  township,  serving  in 
1853.  The  work  previous  to  that  time  had  been  done  by  a  county 
assessor.  He  received  the  munificent  sum  of  $14.00  salary  as  assessor. 
Mr.  Gaylord  was  a  staunch  church  member.     The  first  Sunday  school 


454  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

in  the  township  was  held  in  his  house  in  1850  and  continued  to  be  held 
there  and  occasionally  preaching  by  a  United  Brethren  circuit  rider  by 
name  of  Brown,  was  held  at  his  house.  His  widow  died  at  the  home 
of  her  son  in  Strawberry  Point,  in  1866,  aged  84  years.  Caleb  Lane 
came  to  this  township  in  1850  and  located  on  the  Hanson  farm  in 
section  2.  He  was  a  good  violinist  and  quite  a  hunter.  Mr.  Lane  and 
Hiram  Hines,  St.,  another  nimrod,  in  1850,  tracked  a  bear  to  Chipman 
hollow  in  Lodomillo  township.  The  bear  ran  into  a  den  and  they 
endeavored  to  smoke  and  drive  it  out  but  did  not  succeed.  Finally 
they  purchased  torches  and  entered  the  den  and  in  the  language  of  old 
"did  slew  the  bear." 

Every  community  has  one  or  more  unique  characters  entirely  dif- 
ferent from  the  rest  of  the  people  and  the  early  settlers  had  such  a 
character  in  the  person  of  one  David  Mann,  a  Virginian,  who  settled 
in  the  township  about  1850,  and  erected  a  mill  in  what  is  still  known 
as  David  Mann's  hollow  in  section  12,  on  the  premises  now  owned  by 
Mr.  Childers.  There  are  a  number  of  excellent  springs  near  here 
which  supplied  the  water  for  motive  power.  It  was  a  sort  of  corn 
cracker.  As  some  one  has  said,  you  took  a  kernel  of  corn  there  and 
had  it  made  into  three  pieces  instead  of  one.  The  burrs  were  fashioned 
by  Mr.  Mann  himself,  who  was  an  inventive  genius,  from  two  small 
boulders  or  hard  heads  about  a  foot  in  diameter.  The  mill  was  built 
in  1850  and  while  a  small  affair,  was  quite  a  convenience  to  the  nearby 
settlers,  who  otherwise  were  compelled  to  go  many  miles  to  have  their 
corn  ground.  When  asked  to  the  capacity  of  the  mill,  he  replied, 
"Wall,  by  keeping  her  lamin'  through  all  day  long,  I  reckon  I  can  grind 
nigh  onto  two  bushels."  He  ran  a  turning  lathe  in  connection  with  his 
mill  and  made  splint  bottom  chairs  in  a  substantial  manner  as  were 
made  in  an  early  day. 

After  running  his  mill  for  a  time  he  rebuilt  the  same  and  purchased 
a  new  set  of  burrs,  thereby  greatly  increasing  its  capacity.  He  built  a 
rather  commodious  log  house  with  an  upstairs  to  it,  the  size  of  his 
family  demanding  additional  rooms.  About  1854  or  1855,  a  severe 
flood  came  one  evening  and  Mann  and  his  whole  family  crowded  into 
the  upper  room  for  safety.  When  morning  came,  he  found  that  his 
dam,  mill  and  machinery  had  been  entirely  destroyed. 

POST  OFFICE 

There  have  been  three  post  offices  located  in  Cass  township.  The 
first  settlers  procured  their  mail  at  Elkader,  Yankee  Settlement  and 
Forestville.  The  post  office  was  established  at  Strawberry  Point  in 
185 1.  Efforts  were  made  to  have  the  post  office  called  Franklin,  but 
there  was  a  rural  post  office  established  before  this  time  in  Lee  county 
and  the  government  does  not  allow  two  post  offices  of  the  same  name 
in  the  same  state  so  the  name  Franklin  was  abandoned  and  the  one  of 
Strawberry  Point  agreed  upon.  There  was  a  tract  of  timber  about  a 
mile  west  of  the  town  of  Strawberry  Point  that  ran  to  a  point  along 
where  the  road  from  Dubuque  to  Fort  Atkinson  ran  and  tradition  says 
that  a  party  of  soldiers  were  going  from  Dubuque  to  the  fort  and 
camped  at  this  point  of  timber  in  the  month  of  June  and  there  found 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS    OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  455 

an  abundance  of  wild  strawberries.  The  wife  of  a  lieutenant  accom- 
panying the  party  gave  the  place  the  name  of  Strawberry  Point  and  it  was 
ever  after  known  to  the  travelers  to  and  from  Fort  Atkinson  to  Dubuque 
by  that  name.  Very  naturally  the  post  office  established  a  mile  east 
was  given  the  name  of  Strawberry  Point.  When  the  railroad  was 
built  to  the  place,  in  1872,  the  station  was  named  Enfield,  but  the  old 
settlers  did  not  take  kindly  to  the  name  of  the  station  and  by  order  of 
the  state  railroad  commissioners  the  name  of  the  station  was  changed 
to  Strawberry  Point — a  name  that  is  really  too  long  and  meaningless 
for  a  town,  but  a  name  dear  to  all  old  settlers. 

The  town  of  Strawberry  Point  was  platted  by  W.  H.  Sterns  and 
E.  B.  Gardner,  in  1854,  as  Franklin  and  is  still  known  on  the  record  as 
Franklin.  The  place  was  incorporated  in  1888  under  the  name  of 
Strawberry  Point. 

In  1854,  a  post  office  was  established  in  the  east  part  of  the  town- 
ship, under  the  name  of  "Sylvan"  with  Alvah  Bush  as  post  master  on 
premises  now  owned  by  C.  Weig.  The  post  office  was  discontinued 
about  six  months  after  it  was  established.  The  post  office  was  estab- 
lished in  1848,  at  Yankee  Settlement,  the  post  office  at  Forestville  in 
1 85 1,  and  the  post  office  at  Elkader  in  1848. 

MILLS 

The  early  settlers  were  greatly  interested  in  having  saw  and  grist 
mills  in  their  neighborhood.  It  was  saving  of  much  travel  to  Elkader, 
Hartwick  or  other  distant  points  to  mill.  The  first  mill  in  this  town- 
ship was  the  one  built  by  David  Mann  in  section  12,  in  David  Mann's 
hollow.  In  1852,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Woods  commenced  the  erec- 
tion of  a  small  feed  mill  in  section  10,  about  half  a  mile  above  the  pres- 
ent Kleinlein  mill.  Mr.  Wood  was  unable  to  finish  the  mill  on  account 
of  poor  health  and  Alex.  Blake,  Sr.,  purchased  his  claim  and  finished 
the  mill  in  1852.  Mr.  Wood  and  one  of  his  children  died  soon  after 
and  were  buried  in  the  first  cemetery  in  the  township  located  just  west 
of  Strawberry  Point  on  P.  J.  Clough's  premises  near  Mr.  Pebler's  house. 
The  present  Strawberry  Point  cemetery  was  established  in  1853  and 
some  of  the  bodies  in  the  Clough  cemetery  were  moved  to  the  new  ceme- 
tery but  those  of  Mr.  Wood  and  his  child  were  not  moved.  John  A.  Cooley 
and  W.  W.  Putney  moved  the  bodies  to  the  new  cemetery,  in  1853. 

About  1856,  the  mill  was  enlarged  and  converted  by  Mr.  Blake 
into  a  flour  mill  and  soon  after  sold  to  Mr.  Templeton  of  Fayette,  and 
transferred  a  number  of  times  thereafter.  The  mill  was  burned,  in 
1858,  and  the  property  passed  to  the  control  of  John  Kleinlein,  who 
erected  a  substantial  stone  flour  mill  about  half  a  mile  north  of  the 
site  of  the  first  mill  which  is  now  owned  and  operated  by  his  son, 
Gottlieb  Kleinlein,  who  is  an  active,  reliable  miller.  Mr.  Kleinlein 
about  1865  erected  a  brewery  near  the  mill  which  was  operated  many 
years. 

About  1852,  Mr.  Gilbriath,  then  occupying  the  Barney  Morris 
farm  in  Sperry  township,  erected  a  small  feed  mill  about  a  mile  and  a 
half  below  David  Mann's  mill  near  C.  H.  Suerbry's  place  about  twenty 
rods  north  of  the  township  line.  It  was  a  small  aflfair  but  compe- 
tition was  active  between  Mann  and  Gilbriath  in  the  milling  business. 


45^  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

In  1853,  David  Brown  laid  out  a  town  on  the  Maquoketa  on 
section  30  and  named  it  Mississega.  Either  the  name  or  the  location 
killed  it  for  it  never  grew  beyond  a  small  mill  and  a  blacksmith's  shop. 
The  place  was  afterwards  known  as  Ward's  or  Gogue's  mill.  G. 
Cooley  bought  the  property  and  not  only  did  he  buy  a  dam  site  as  well 
as  the  mill,  but  the  dam  would  persist  on  going  out  on  every  oppor- 
tunity so  that  he  was  unable  to  make  a  sight  of  money  from  this  invest- 
ment. He  owned  the  property  when  he  went  in  the  army  and  while 
he  was  gone  his  wife  effected  a  sale  on  the  entire  property,  town  site, 
mill,  all  for  400  pounds  of  flour  to  Isaac  Martin,  to  the  great  satisfac- 
tion of  Mr.  Cooley  who  commended  his  wife  in  effecting  such  a  good 
sale  of  the  property.  In  1855,  W.  H.  Sterns  built  a  steam  mill  in 
Strawberry  Point,  just  east  of  the  depot  which  was  run  for  a  number 
of  years.  E.  B.  Gardner,  John  A.  and  G.  Cooley  were  among  the 
sawyers. 

In  1858,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Warner  erected  a  substantial  saw- 
mill at  Rankin's  corners  just  over  the  line  in  Lodomillo  township.  The 
property  afterwards  passed  to  the  ownership  of  Horace  Knight,  who 
had  a  town  site  surveyed  and  platted  under  the  name  of  Empire  City; 
we  believe  the  plat  was  filed  for  record.  The  town  looked  well  on 
paper.  The  mill  was  operated  a  number  of  years  and  finally  passed  to 
the  ownership  of  J.  W.  Windsor,  who  about  1864  moved  the  machinery 
east  of  Edgewood  to  what  is  known  as  Walters'  mill  and  the  frame 
work  was  sold  to  B.  Bushee  and  part  of  the  timbers  constituted  the 
frame  of  the  S.  Joy  barn  in  Strawberry  Point.  There  were  quite  a 
number  of  buildings  about  this  mill  at  one  time  and  for  several  years 
it  was  a  busy  place,  but  like  York,  corn  grows  well  on  this  town  site. 

SCHOOLS 

The  first  school  in  the  township  was  taught  by  Alex.  Blake  in  the 
small  log  house  built  by  Azariah  Alloway  on  what  is  now  called  the 
Hestwood  place  in  section  13  in  the  winter  of  1851  and  1852.  Mr. 
Blake  received  the  sum  of  $10.00  per  month,  and  boarded  himself  for 
teaching  and  he  actually  claims  he  fully  earned  such  a  salary.  The 
next  winter,  in  1852  and  1853,  Mr.  Blake  taught  school  in  a  log  dwell- 
ing house  at  Brown  Mill  on  the  Maquoketa.  The  first  school  house  in 
the  township  was  erected  opposite  the  Strawberry  Point  cemetery 
where  Mr.  Bower's  barn  now  stands.  It  was  a  one-story  log  building 
and  served  the  purpose  of  school  room  and  church  building  for  a 
number  of  years.  The  first  teacher  was  Battie  Bush  who  taught  the 
school  in  the  winter  of  1853  and  1854.  The  frame  school  house  in 
Strawberry  Point  was  built  in  1853  and  is  part  of  L.  C.  Gardner's  shop 
on  Commercial  street,  located  on  the  same  site,  and  this  building  was 
used  some  time  for  church  purposes  also. 

A  school  house  was  built  on  the  present  site  of  Grange  Hall,  in 
Lodomillo  township,  about  1849,  and  all  of  Cass  township  was  attached 
to  this  district  for  school  purposes.  In  1854  a  school  house  was 
erected  on  town  line  near  A.  R.  Carrier's  residence  and  the  first  school 
was  taught  by  Miss  Jane  Weeks. 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS   OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  457 

CHURCHES 

The  early  settlers  gave  considerable  consideration  to  church  serv- 
ices and  Sunday  school.  As  heretofore  stated,  the  first  Sunday  school 
and  first  preaching  services  were  held  in  the  house  of  Stephen  Gaylord 
in  1850,  and  '51.  Afterwards,  in  1852,  Mr.  Bieven,  moving  on  the 
Bemis  place,  had  Sunday  school  and  preaching  in  his  house  and  when 
the  first  log  school  house  was  built  opposite  the  cemetery,  in  1853, 
regular  preaching  services  were  held  there  and  also  in  the  first  frame 
school  house  in  Strawberry  Point,  built  in  1853.  In  1856,  the  Baptist 
church  was  built  in  Strawberry  Point  by  popular  subscription  and  was 
a  most  excellent  church  edifice.  While  built  as  a  Baptist  church  all 
denominations  from  time  to  time  held  services  there.  The  first  Bap- 
tist minister  was  Rev.  Root,  of  Delhi,  who  lived  in  Delhi  and  came  up 
and  held  preaching  services  at  stated  times.  The  first  resident  pastor 
was  Rev.  George  Scott,  who  acceptably  filled  the  position  for  several 
years.  Mr.  Scott  is  still  living  in  Nebraska.  The  first  Alethodist 
minister  was  Rev.  D.  M.  Sterns,  who  came  here  in  1853,  and  was  a 
man  greatly  respected  by  all.  The  first  minister  in  this  part  of  the 
country  was  Rev.  N.  W.  Bixby. 

Rev.  J,  N.  Baker,  a  preacher  of  the  Disciple  church,  came  here  in 
185 1,  and  always  took  an  active  interest  in  religious  affairs  and  fre- 
quently preached. 

In  185 1,  the  Grannis  Brothers,  William,  John,  Erastus,  Harvey 
and  Newton,  with  their  familes,  came  here.  They  took  up  land  west 
of  Strawberry  Point,  including  the  Arnold  and  Feulner  farms.  They 
were  fine  musicians  and  before  coming  to  the  state  had  traveled  as  a 
concert  company  and  after  coming  here  occasionally  gave  concerts  in 
the  neighboring  towns.  John,  Erastus  and  Newton  Grannis,  died  a 
few  years  after  coming  here.  John,  at  the  time  of  his  death,  lived  on 
the  Walker  farm,  southeast  of  Strawberry  Point.  William  Grannis 
entered  the  army  and  was  first  lieutenant  of  Company  D,  Twenty- 
first  Iowa  regiment.  After  his  return  he  was  a  commercial  traveler 
for  a  number  of  years  and  died  at  Earlville,  Iowa,  several  years  ago, 
where  he  ran  a  hotel.  Harvey  Grannis  about  1865  moved  with  his 
family  to  California,  where  he  died.  There  are  none  of  the  descend- 
ants of  the  Grannises  here  now.  Myron  M.  Grannis,  son  of  William, 
married  the  oldest  daughter  of  Judge  Murdock,  who  died  soon  after 
her  marriage.  The  Grannis  family  was  a  large  one  and  they  added 
much  to  the  musical  and  social  circles  of  the  early  days. 

Job  Dalton  came  in  1851,  and  located  on  a  farm  southeast  of 
Strawberry  Point  where  he  resided  many  years.  He  moved  to  Taylor 
county,  Iowa,  where  he  now  lives.  His  son,  Whit  Dalton,  is  living  in 
Strawberry  Point.  Ambrose  Carney  purchased  the  claim  of  Samuel 
Hines  known  as  Henderson  farm.  He  sold  out  in  i860  to  Thos. 
Alderson  and  moved  west.  Alonzo  Carney  lived  near  the  C.  H. 
Saurbry  place.  He  was  married  to  a  daughter  of  Samuel  Hines,  in 
1853.  He  died  in  1899.  His  widow  survived  him  and  is  now  Hving 
in  Cox  Creek  township  with  her  son. 

In  185 1,  a  man  by  the  name  of  Woods  entered  the  land  on  which 
is  located  the  business  portion  of  Strawberry  Point.     He  erected  a  log 


458  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

building  on  the  land  now  occupied  by  the  bank  and  opened  up  a  store. 
His  stock  consisted  of  several  barrels  of  moderately  poor  whiskey 
and  about  a  wheelbarrow  load  of  dry  goods  and  notions  and  groceries. 
Our  friend,  Stub  Toney,  claims  that  in  1852,  when  he  first  visited 
Strawberry  Point,  he  counted  24  immigrant  wagons  along  Mission 
street  by  the  Woods'  store,  his  being  the  only  business  place  in  town. 
And  15  men  having  the  wagons  in  charge  came  out  of  Woods'  store 
each  with  a  jug  in  his  hand.  Mr.  Toney  says  he  does  not  positively 
know,  but  thinks  the  contents  of  the  jugs  must  have  been  a  sort  of 
lotion  for  the  oxen's  feet  that  had  become  sore.  For  a  year  or  two 
Woods  did  a  thriving  business  and  in  1853  he  sold  out  his  claim  and 
store  to  W.  H.  Stern.  Mr.  Woods  had  a  son  who  had  a  claim  of 
forty  acres  of  land  just  west  of  his  father's  and  erected  a  log  house 
where  George  Roe's  house  now  stands.  He  sold  out  to  Rev.  D.  M. 
Sterns  in  1853,  who  afterwards  platted  the  land. 

In  1 85 1,  Rev.  J.  N.  Baker  and  family  and  John  Bliven  and  family 
and  David  Merritt  came  from  Illinois.  Mr.  Baker  first  lived  in  a 
small  house  on  the  Sloan  place  the  first  year  and  the  house  burned 
down.  The  next  season,  in  1852,  he  built  a  log  house  in  Strawberry 
Point  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  G.  N.  Steele,  where  he  resided 
some  years.  In  1852,  he  built  and  conducted  a  blacksmith  shop  on  the 
lot  across  the  street  where  George  Alderson  now  lives.  His  son, 
Palmer  Baker,  assisted  him  in  running  the  shop. 

John  Blevin  purchased  the  Bemis  farm  of  two  young  men  named 
Brownson  and  he  moved  on  this  farm  in  185 1.  Here  Mr.  Blevin's 
wife  died  and  he  afterwards  married  a  widow  named  Hysham,  mother 
of  Jacob  and  Hiram  Hysham,  two  well  known  men  in  the  county  in 
early  days.  Mr.  Blevin  sold  out  to  Chancy  Bemis  in  1855.  He  was 
somewhat  of  an  exhorter  and  took  a  great  interest  in  Sunday  school 
and  church  affairs. 

David  Merritt  took  up  a  claim  east  of  Blevin's,  now  owned  by  T. 
Dunning.  There  were  no  buildings  on  the  place  and  he  proceeded  to 
improve  the  same.  At  this  time  he  was  a  single  man.  His  sister  was 
the  wife  of  Rev.  J.  N.  Baker.  Mr.  Merritt  built  the  first  frame  house 
in  the  township.  J.  C.  Tremain  was  head  workman  in  its  construc- 
tion, assisted  by  J.  H.  Deyo  and  Stephen  Gaylord.  The  house  was 
in  late  years  occupied  as  a  granary  on  the  farm  and  was  burned  last 
fall.  Mr.  Merritt,  after  completing  his  house  was  married,  in  1852,  to 
Miss  Jane  Clough  at  the  log  cabin  of  her  father,  just  west  of  Straw- 
berry Point.  Among  the  invited  gue.sts  was  B.  F.  Gaylord,  still  living 
here.  At  this  time  Mr.  Merritt  was  a  mail  carrier  from  Strawberry 
Point  to  Forestville  once  a  week  at  the  munificent  salary  of  twenty-five 
cents  a  trip.  He  made  the  trip  on  foot.  Mr.  Merritt  lived  in  the 
township  many  years  and  by  hard  work  and  frugality  accumulated 
quite  a  fortune.  He"  moved  to  New  Hampton  and  afterwards  to 
West  Union,  where  he  died  last  year,  leaving  his  widow  and  two  sons, 
Frank  Merritt  of  New  Hampton  and  Prof.  F.  D.  Merritt  of  Iowa  City, 
surviving  him. 

In  the  same  year,  1851,  Alex  Blake,  Sr.,  and  family,  consisting  of 
his  sons,  Alex.,  Tylar  and  James,  and  his  daughters,  Sarah  Blake — who 
married  James  Massey — and  Minnie  Blake,  who  married  George  L. 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS    OF    HON.    ELIPHALET   PRICE  459 

Tremain,  came  from  Indiana  and  purchased  the  claim  of  James  Allo- 
way  adjoining  Strawberry  Point  and  now  occupied  by  Miles  Alderson. 
Mr.  Alex.  Blake,  Sr.,  engaged  in  the  milling  business  in  1852.  He 
died  in  1863.    His  son,  Alex.  Blake,  resides  in  Strawberry  Point. 

We  have  heretofore  spoken  of  Garden  Prairie.  The  honor  of 
giving  that  name  to  the  beautiful  prairie  extending  from  the  Maquo- 
keta  westward  in  Fayette  county  belongs  to  Mr.  Nelson  Fenner.  In 
June,  1854,  he  traveled  this  prairie,  beautiful  with  the  flowers  of  that 
season  of  the  year  and  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation  of  the  virgin 
soil.  To  his  companion  he  exclaimed,  "This  is  magnificent  and  this 
locality  ought  to  be  called  Garden  Prairie."  And  that  name  has  been 
allied  to  that  section  ever  since.  Mr.  Fenner  moved  from  Cass  to 
Lodomillo  about  1865  and  for  a  number  of  years  was  post  master  of 
Edgewood. 

AN  EARLY  INCIDENT 

During  the  summer  of  1852  Mr.  John  Thompson  of  Clermont 
had  a  large  gang  of  men  at  work  grading  the  railroad  up  along  Bloody 
Run  above  North  McGregor.  These  men  had  received  but  little  pay 
during  the  summer,  and  as  the  frosty  nights  of  fall  and  approaching 
winter  came  on  they  began  to  realize  the  need  of  the  money  due  them, 
that  they  might  provide  themselves  and  families  with  the  necessary 
food  and  clothing  for  cold  weather.  But  for  some  reason  they  were 
put  off  from  day  to  day  until  there  began  to  be  rumors  of  serious 
trouble  of  some  kind  unless  their  just  claims  were  satisfied.  The 
people  of  McGregor  became,  if  not  alarmed,  at  least  a  little  anxious 
as  to  Avhat  might  happen  if  the  men  were  not  paid  off  soon. 

The  stores  had  laid  in  good  stocks  of  family  supplies  and  the 
railroad  workmen  were  willing  and  anxious  to  buy  if  they  had  the 
money  for  they  had  no  credit.  But  their  families  were  in  sore  need 
and  their  wants  WOULD  HAVE  TO  BE  SUPPLIED  IN  SOME 
WAY.  So  by  invitation  of  some  of  our  citizens  Mr.  Thompson  came  to 
McGregor  one  day  and  put  up  at  Harding's  hotel,  nearly  opposite  the 
present  passenger  depot.  The  railroad  men  very  soon  learned  that  he  was 
here  and  they  swarmed  into  town  and  surrounded  the  hotel,  some  sitting 
or  standing  on  the  sidewalk  opposite  and  others  back  in  the  bushes  on 
the  bluff,  all  determined  to  prevent  Mr.  Thompson's  escape,  either  day 
or  night  until  he  had  made  provision  for  their  pay.  There  must  have 
been  one  or  two  hundred  of  them  altogether  and  not  less  than  a  hun- 
dred on  guard  at  a  time,  fresh  ones  taking  the  place  of  those  who  had 
to  go  to  their  homes  for  food  and  rest,  and  each  one  getting  madder 
and  madder  as  they  returned  from  their  empty  cupboards  and  scanty 
wardrobes  at  home.  The  young  hickory  and  white  oak  along 
Bloody  Run  were  just  the  size  and  texture  for  a  good  shillalah  and 
along  toward  the  end  of  the  second  day,  an  occasional  one  might  be 
seen  in  the  hands  of  some  of  the  leaders  among  the  men.  During 
these  two  days  good  old  Father  Nagle,  the  spiritual  and  to  some  extent 
the  temporal  adviser  of  most  of  the  men,  had  not  been  idle.  He  well 
knew  their  destitute  condition  and  that  some  means  for  supplying  them 
and  their  families  with  the  necessaries  of  life  must  be  provided  at 
once.     He  labored  with  them  day  and  night,  keeping  their  rising  anger 


460  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

in  partial  subjection  and  pledging  his  personal  honor  that  their  claim 
should  soon  be  satisfied.  By  his  advice,  and  the  orders  of  the  City 
Fathers,  the  saloons  were  closed,  while  their  owners  stood  within  with 
loaded  guns,  ready  to  defend  their  property  against  any  riotous  attack. 
Loaded  guns,  revolvers,  and  other  weapons  of  defense  were  also  within 
easy  reach  of  the  occupants  of  every  store,  shop  and  dwelling  in  town. 
The  Reverend  Father,  besides  laboring  with  his  own  people  for 
their  good,  was  equally  active  in  his  labors  with  the  leading  citizens  and 
Mr.  Thompson  to  devise  some  means  by  which  the  just  claims  of  the 
men  might  be  satisfied.  At  the  close  of  the  second  day  of  his  arduous 
labors,  the  Reverend  Father  told  the  City  Fathers  that  the  men  were 
getting  desperate,  that  he  had  nearly  exhausted  his  influence  in  pacify- 
ing them,  but  that  he  would  stay  with  them,  at  least  a  part  of  the 
night,  and  use  his  utmost  endeavors  to  prevent  any  riotous  demonstra- 
tion. They  might,  however,  break  away  from  him  at  any  time  and  he 
would  not  hold  himself  responsible  for  any  mad  act  of  violence  they 
might  commit.  The  prospect  was  getting  desperate.  Those  men  must 
be  pacified  or  there  would  be  rioting  with  the  looting  of  stores,  fire 
and  bloodshed  in  the  morning,  if  not  before.  In  the  evening  the  lead- 
ing citizens,  with  Mr.  Thompson,  held  a  conference  at  which,  very 
happily,  means  were  devised  for  paying  off  the  men  in  the  morning  at 
the  opening  of  the  bank.  The  news  was  conveyed  to  Father  Nagle 
and  by  him  to  the  men,  but  they  wouldn't  believe  it.  They  thought  it 
was  only  a  scheme  to  put  them  off  their  guard,  and  give  Mr.  Thompson 
a  chance  to  escape  and  cheat  them  out  of  their  pay.  Father  Nagle 
redoubled  his  efforts  to  keep  them  quiet,  assuring  them  they  would  be 
paid  ofif  in  the  morning.  They  didn't  dare  contradict  his  reverence, 
but  in  their  hearts  they  were  strongly  inclined  to  doubt  him,  and  with 
a  twirl  of  the  shillalah,  and  mutterings  of  determined  action  if 
deceived,  they  were  kept  in  check  till  morning  when  they  were  paid  off. 
Late  in  the  evening  of  the  second  day,  even  after  the  men  had  been 
told  that  they  would  be  paid  in  the  morning,  their  actions  showed  that 
it  needed  only  a  spark  to  kindle  their  fiercest  passions,  so  about  10 
o'clock  at  night  messengers  were  sent  through  the  town  warning  all 
the  citizens  in  stores,  shops  or  dwellings  to  be  on  guard,  and  ready 
with  such  means  of  defense  as  they  might  have  to  repel  any  attack 
and  especially  to  be  ready  at  a  moment's  call,  either  that  night  or  the 
next  morning  to  march  to  the  defense  of  the  town  against  a  bloody 
riot.  The  strain,  the  fear,  the  anxiety,  were  in  no  way  relaxed,  until 
it  was  known  at  9  o'clock  that  the  bank  was  paying  off  the  men  and 
that  they  had  ceased  their  threatening  aspects. 

THE  OLD  DUBUQUE  ROAD 

For  the  following  interesting  word  picture  of  the  old  Dubuque 
road  and  the  pioneer  days  we  are  indebted  to  one  whose  home  has  been 
in  Clayton  county  for  more  than  sixty  years. 

"There  is  another  road  in  Clayton  county  quite  as  old  and  prob- 
ably as  well  traveled  as  the  Military  road  in  early  days  before 
McGregor  became  a  busy  mart  of  commerce.  This  road  was  origi- 
nally a  trail  between  Dubuque  and  St.  Paul.     Through  Clayton  county 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS    OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  461 

it  led  along  the  watershed  between  the  Mississippi  and  Turkey  rivers 
until  it  struck  the  Military  road  a  few  miles  east  of  Poverty  Point,  as 
Monona  was  formerly  called.  A  portion  of  the  old  trail  is  now 
marked  by  a  much  frequented  road  which  takes  an  almost  straight 
course  from  a  point  a  mile  above  National  to  two  or  three  miles  below 
Garnavillo. 

When  Iowa  was  opened  to  settlers  in  1833  the  first  rush  in  the 
northern  part  was  to  the  lead  mines  about  Dubuque.  Above  that  place 
the  shores  of  the  Turkey  river  caught  the  next  wave  of  immigrants. 
In  that  locality  at  the  end  of  five  years  a  census  would  have  included 
the  names  of  more  than  a  score  and  a  half  of  men,  a  large  proportion 
of  them  occupying  homes  with  their  families.  Slowly  a  feeble  stream 
of  the  human  tide  crept  northward,  the  settlers  without  exception 
building  their  homes  in  the  woods  or  near  the  edge  of  it.  The  first 
houses  distinctly  away  from  the  woods  were  built  where  Garnavillo 
now  stands.  There  in  1843  Judge  Samuel  Murdock  found  but  one 
log  hut. 

South  of  Jacksonville,  as  the  new  county  seat  was  first  called, 
lived  Dr.  Frederick  Andros  and  Mr.  A.  P.  McDonald ;  to  the  west  of 
it  Mr.  William  Schulte ;  extending  northward  to  the  Military  road 
were  scattered  half  a  dozen  or  more  log  cabins  sheltered  by  the  woods, 
their  owners  believing  it  foolhardy  to  build  upon  the  prairies  where 
their  homes  would  certainly  be  wrecked  by  the  wind.  Thus  they  cau- 
tioned Mark  B.  Sherman,  who  with  his  wife  and  child  arrived  from 
Prairie  du  Chien  in  the  spring  of  1845  ^t  a  location  on  the  old  trail 
four  miles  north  of  Garnavillo.  A  temporary  cabin  was  occupied  dur- 
ing the  summer  while  a  substantial  frame  house  was  erected.  It  was 
one  of  the  first  frame  houses  built  beside  this  road  and  was  occupied 
the  longest  of  all.  It  still  stands,  used  by  its  present  owner.  Otto 
Hamaam,  as  a  garage.  In  1847  ^  barn  30  feet  by  50  feet  was  built 
which  has  been  in  daily  use  ever  since.  In  its  basement  may  be  found 
cedar  posts  sixteen  inches  in  diameter  which  were  placed  as  supports 
when  the  barn  was  built.  For  a  number  of  years  the  Sherman  home 
was  a  well-known  landmark  on  the  Dubuque  and  St.  Paul  trail.  It 
was  not  intended  as  a  tavern  nor  kept  as  a  public  house,  yet  in  the 
wilderness  one  cannot  turn  the  cold  and  hungry  from  his  door,  so  the 
little  house  was  sometimes  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity,  sheltering 
as  many  as  thirty-two  people ;  one  night  fourteen  travelers  slept  upon 
the  kitchen  floor. 

The  first  summer  that  Mrs.  Sherman  spent  upon  the  farm  she 
was  often  left  alone.  No  sign  of  human  habitation  was  in  sight.  Her 
first  caller  was  a  Winnebago  chief ;  he  spoke  the  Indian  word  for 
bread,  signifying  his  hunger.  Food  was  set  before  him,  and  the  young 
mother,  with  her  baby  in  her  arms  and  terror  in  her  heart,  watched 
him  eat.  Having  finished  he  arose  and  with  a  polite  bow  laid  a  silver 
quarter  on  the  table,  and  pointing  to  his  pony  he  emptied  the  contents 
of  a  salt  cellar  into  the  corner  of  his  blanket,  then  departed.  He  was 
dressed  in  a  fine  suit  of  broadcloth  but  wore  the  customary  blanket 
over  his  head.  Like  many  of  the  Indian  visits  in  those  days  the  only 
harm  done  was  in  the  fear  inspired. 

But  changes  sometimes  come  quickly  in  the  wilderness  as  well  as 


462  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

elsewhere.  The  land  was  ere  long  taken  up  by  settlers,  and  within  a 
few  years  many  homes  similar  to  the  one  described  were  built  along 
the  old  trail.  Some  people  of  the  younger  generation  receive  wrong 
impressions  regarding  the  conditions  of  the  settlers  in  those  days. 
They  were  people  of  energy  and  courage  for  none  others  are  wont  to 
become  pioneers.  They  were  not  poverty-stricken,  as  an  inspection 
of  their  homes  would  prove.  Their  wardrobes  would  disclose  a  silken 
gown  or  two  for  the  wife,  probably  a  broadcloth  suit  for  the  husband, 
his  wedding  coat,  no  doubt.  Their  chests  held  linen  and  woolen  goods, 
spun  and  woven  in  the  eastern  homes  for  the  women  when  they  became 
brides ;  occasionally  there  could  be  found  a  choice  piece  of  furniture, 
sometimes  of  mahogany,  or  of  beautiful  maple  or  cherry ;  and  both 
cooking  and  heating  stoves  were  to  be  found  in  all  of  these  frame 
houses." 

One  reason  that  this  road  was  so  well  traveled  in  early  days  was 
because  the  Government  land  office  was  located  at  Dubuque,  where 
those  desirous  of  entering  land  were  obliged  to  present  themselves,  and 
another  journey  became  necessary  Avhen  they  paid  for  their  lands. 
Soon  land  in  counties  to  the  westward  came  into  demand  and  a  flood- 
tide  of  immigrants  poured  along  the  old  trail.  In  a  company  there 
would  be  a  half  dozen,  even  as  high  as  sixty,  "prairie  schooners," 
sometimes  drawn  by  horses,  but  more  frequently  by  two,  four  or  six 
oxen.  Looking  out  from  under  the  canvass  of  each  wagon  were 
women  and  children.  A  man  walked  beside  the  oxen ;  in  the  rear, 
more  men  and  boys  drove  the  cows ;  a  crate  of  chickens  was  fastened 
to  the  back  of  a  wagon ;  wooden  pails  and  iron  kettles  swung  from  the 
hind  axles  and  beneath  the  wagon  trotted  the  family  dog.  Such  were 
the  moving  pictures  that  almost  daily  gladdened  the  sight  of  the  chil- 
dren of  the  settlers,  and  as  they  timidly  peeked  through  the  picket 
fences  at  these  caravans,  to  more  than  one  of  them  a  chance  to  travel 
ill  a  "prairie  schooner"  appeared  more  attractive  than  now  would  be  a 
cross-continent  trip. 

Changes  still  are  taking  place  along  the  old  road.  A  whiz  and  a 
streak  of  dust  mark  the  passing  of  the  automobile  where  in  early  days 
plodded  the  patient  oxen ;  and  in  the  old  barn  that  sixty-five  years  ago 
was  lighted  at  night  by  the  feeble  rays  of  a  tallow  candle  that 
struggled  through  the  perforations  in  a  tin  lantern,  the  turn  of  a  button 
illuminates  the  ancient  spaces  with  a  flood  of  light. 

THE  STORY  OF  BLOODY  RUN 

An  old  settler  is  favoring  the  readers  of  the  Prairie  du  Chien 
Courier  with  a  well  written  and  highly  interesting  history  of  early 
events  as  they  transpired  around  that  locality.  In  the  last  Courier 
we  find  the  following  account  of  "Bloody  Run."  It  will  well  repay 
perusal  though  the  conclusion  to  which  the  writer  comes  as  to  North 
McGregor  surpassing  its  mother,  is  merely  a  matter  of  opinion  which 
the  future  may  or  may  not  confirm.  "Bloody  Run"  is  so  called  from 
an  incident  of  backwoods  life  which  I  will  relate  as  it  was  told  to  me 
by  a  person  who  was  born  in  these  parts,  and  who  is  now  living  in 
Prairie  du  Chien.     The  name  applies  to  a  large  ravine  or  valley,  on  the 


HISTORICAL    WRITINGS    OF    HON.    ELIPHALET    PRICE  463 

west  side  of  the  Mississippi  in  Iowa,  opposite  Prairie  du  Chien,  and 
one  mile  north  of  McGregor,  a  stream  of  pure,  cool  spring  water,  clear 
as  a  crystal,  and  thickly  skirted  with  a  growth  of  timber,  meanders 
along  through  the  valley,  over  its  pebbly  bottom  towards  the  Missis- 
sippi, into  which  it  flows.  This  stream  winds  between  high  wood- 
covered  bluffs  that  bound  the  valley  on  either  side ;  and  at  a  distance 
of  more  than  seven  miles  from  its  mouth  it  furnishes  power  to  run 
Spalding  &  Marsh's  mill. 

In  that  season  of  the  year  when  vegetation  and  verdure  is  at  its 
height,  a  picturesque  sight  is  presented  to  the  tourist,  as  he  wends  his 
way  along  the  stream,  through  the  valley  of  "Bloody  Run."  The 
lover  of  nature  has  never  imagined  a  wilder,  more  beautiful  place  than 
was  Bloody  Run  when  I  was  there  in  1834.  No  wonder  that  Martin 
Scott  chose  this  as  his  favorite  hunting  ground.  His  true  sportsman 
instinct  lead  him  to  this  place,  to  watch  for  the  red  deer  as  it  came 
down  from  the  bluff  at  mid-day,  to  slake  its  thirst  and  cool  its  panting 
sides  in  the  cr}'stal  waters  of  the  run ;  here  it  was  his  brag  gun  dealt  death 
among  the  woodcock,  wood  duck  and  pheasants  that  were  very  abun- 
dant in  the  valley ;  and  here,  too,  transpired  a  scene  of  blood-shed  that 
gave  to  this  beautiful  spot  it  ominous  name.  There  is  not  a  stream, 
point,  bluff,  wood,  coulee,  or  cave  in  the  west  but  has  attached  to  it 
some  associations  that  are  alone  peculiarly  historical ;  and  as  I  pos- 
sessed a  natural  curiosity  to  learn  the  derivation  of  names  that  to  me 
seemed  peculiar,  my  probings  have  often  brought  to  light  mines  of  leg- 
endary lore  and  antique  history.  It  was  years  ago,  before  the  English 
were  guided  to  and  captured  Prairie  du  Chien,  and  before  the  traitor- 
ous guide  hid  himself  in  a  cave  in  Mill  coulee — when  Prairie  du  Chien 
was  inhabited  by  only  a  few  French  families  and  Indian  traders — 
that  an  event  occurred  which  gave  to  the  Coulee,  wherein  North 
McGregor  is  now  being  built,  the  name  of  "Bloody  Run."  A  couple 
of  traders  lived  on  the  prairie,  named  Antoine  Brisbois  and  George 
Fisher,  and  as  was  the  custom  with  those  extensively  engaged  in  the 
fur  trade,  these  two  traders  had  their  clerks  or  agents  whom  they  sup- 
plied with  goods  to  dispose  of  to  the  Indians.  Among  other  clerks 
were  two  who  lived  with  their  families  in  Bloody  Run.  Their  names 
were  Smith  Stock  and  a  Mr.  King.  King's  wife  was  a  squaw  from 
the  Sauk  tribe,  while  Mr.  Stock  and  wife  were  English,  and  both 
families  lived  on  a  little  beach  or  table-land,  about  a  mile  and  a  half 
from  the  mouth,  on  the  north  side  of  the  valley.  Their  cabin  was 
situated  a  few  rods  west  of  the  log  house  now  standing,  and  I  can 
show  you  the  stones  of  the  old-fashioned  fire-place,  lying  where  they 
fell  after  the  cabin  went  to  decay. 

The  clerks  had  sold  a  quantity  of  goods  to  the  Indians  on  credit, 
who  were  backward  in  cancelling  the  debt.  Among  other  Indians  who 
had  got  in  debt  for  goods,  was  a  Sauk  chief.  Grey  Eagle.  The  chief 
had  been  refused  any  more  credit,  and  would  not  pay  for  what  he 
had  already  obtained.  This  dishonesty  on  the  part  of  the  chief  made 
King  impatient,  and  he  told  his  wife  that  he  would  go  to  Grey  Eagle's 
village,  and  if  the  chief  did  not  pay  then  he  would  take  the  chief's 
horse  for  the  debt.  His  wife  told  him  it  would  be  dangerous  to  treat 
a  chief  that  way,  and  warned  him  not  to  go ;  but  he  said  he  had  traded 


464  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

too  long  with  the  Indians  to  be  afraid  of  them  and  started  to  collect 
the  debt. 

On  his  way  to  the  village  he  met  the  chief  unarmed,  riding  on  the 
very  horse  he  threatened  to  take.  Approaching  him  he  dragged  the 
chief  off,  gave  him  a  beating  and  got  on  the  horse  himself  and  rode  it 
home  and  tied  it  before  the  shanty  door.  When  he  told  his  wife  what 
he  had  done  she  said  she  was  afraid  the  chief  would  seek  revenge  and 
warned  her  husband  to  be  cautious.  Soon  after  Mrs.  King  rushed  into 
the  cabin  and  said  that  Eagle  was  near  at  hand  with  some  of  his 
people.  Upon  hearing  this  King  arose  to  go  out  to  the  horse,  but  he 
had  scarcely  reached  the  door  before  a  bullet  from  Eagle's  rifle  pierced 
his  brain  and  he  fell  across  the  threshold  a  bloody  corpse.  The 
Indian  took  the  horse. 

Mr.  Stock,  the  remaining  agent,  persisted  in  his  refusals  to  give 
the  Indians  credit,  which  so  enraged  them  that  they  shot  him  through 
the  heart.  After  this  last  tragedy  the  surviving  members  of  the  two 
families  removed  from  the  claims  and  for  years  after  no  white  man 
lived  in  the  valley,  which  from  the  murders  perpetrated  there  by  the 
Indians  has  ever  since  been  called  "Bloody  Run." 

Such  is  a  description  and  history  of  the  place  where  I  went  to  live 
twenty- four  years  ago  and  it  remained  about  the  same  until  within 
two  or  three  years.  I  lived  there  two  years  and  raised  two  good  crops 
and  spent  the  pleasantest  two  years  of  my  life.  The  Indians  were  very 
numerous,  their  reservations  being  close  by  and  they  sometimes  stole 
my  corn  and  potatoes  and  killed  my  hogs,  but  I  should  have  continued 
there  had  the  title  to  the  land  been  good.  But  an  advantageous  offer 
was  made  to  me  to  go  up  into  Menominee  Pineries,  and  I  left 
Bloody  Run. 

Within  the  last  twelve  months  Bloody  Run  has  undergone  a  great 
change.  The  land  titles  have  been  investigated  and  adjusted;  the 
floating  population  of  the  west  has  begun  to  settle  there ;  mills  have 
been  built.  A  young  city  is  rearing  itself  in  the  valley,  and  will  yet 
surpass  its  neighbor  (McGregor)  in  population  and  trade,  as  it  does 
now  in  its  natural  advantages. 

When  I  left  Bloody  Run  to  go  up  to  Lockwood's  mill  on  the 
Menominee  in  1836  or  '37,  great  speculative  excitement  existed.  Land 
companies  No.  i  and  2  were  formed  and  great  improvements  and  proj- 
ects were  commenced.  At  Prairie  du  Chien  and  Cassville  towns  were 
laid  out,  hotels  built  and  real  estate  was  held  at  enormous  prices.  It 
was  designed  to  make  Cassville  the  capital  of  Michigan  territory  but 
men's  practice  always  falls  short  of  their  theory — the  hard  times  came 
on  and  the  much  talked-of  project  was  abandoned;  land  depreciated 
and  a  general  stagnation  of  business  ensued.  Among  the  organiza- 
tions of  the  times  was  a  wild-cat  banking  institution  entitled,  "Prairie 
du  Chien  Ferry  Company."  This  company  issued  its  shinplasters  at 
Prairie  du  Chien,  some  of  which  I  have,  and  they  bear  the  signatures 
of  G.  Washington  Pine,  president,  and  H.  W.  Savage,  cashier.  This 
pioneer  bank,  however,  had  to  succumb  to  the  pressure,  and  adopted 
the  "suspend  payment"  system,  which  suspension  has  lasted  to  the 
present  day. 


THE  NEW  YORK 

PURLIC   LIBRARY 


ASrrOt.    LEN9X    AND 

TILnKN    (roiiNU4TlyN8 

■  L 


BRIDGE   AND   COURT   HOUSE,   ELKADER 


CHAPTER  XX 


TABLES  OF  ELECTIONS 

statistical  table  of  elections,  with  majorities  at  all  regular, 
special  and  primary  elections  as  recorded  in  the  county  rec- 
ords— list  of  supervisors  from   1861   to   i916 list  of  towns 

platted,  with  dates  and  first  ownership — census  table,  giving 
population  in  1890,  1900,  i9io  and  i915. 

Election,  August,  1842.     Numbers  in  Parentheses 

Indicate  Majority 

Sheriff — Ambrose  Kennedy,  71  (17);  John  Linton,  54;  Thomas 
P.  Parks,  20. 

Clerk  Commissioners'  Court — Robert  R.  Read,  133  (130);  E.  B. 
Cornish,  3. 

Recorder — Charles  E.  Bensell,  80  (20)  ;  E.  B.  Cornish,  60. 

Coroner — Robert  Campbell,  59  (23)  ;  John  M.  Gillett,  36;  William 
Walker,  12;  James  King,  31. 

Surveyor — H.  D.  Lee,  70  (5)  ;  C.  S.  Edson,  65. 

Assessor — H.  D.  Brownson,  107  (82)  ;  Charles  Sawyer,  25. 

Treasurer — H.  F.  Lander,  59  (23);  John  Downie,  36;  David 
Springer,  20. 

Election,  August,  1854 

Governor — J.  W.  Grimes,  Anti-Neb.,  687  (355)  ;  Curtis  Bates, 
dem.,  332. 

Congress — James  Thorington,  Anti-Neb.,  694  (365)  ;  Stephen 
Hempstead,  329. 

State  Senate— \M.  W.  Hamilton,  A-N.,  689  (379)  ;  D.  S.  Wilson, 
dem.,  310. 

Representative — L.  Bigelow,  A-N.,  743  (17);  Reuben  Noble, 
A-N.,  726;  S.  R.  Peet,  dem.,  340. 

R.  R.  Read  for  clerk  and  O.  F.  Stephens,  attorney,  no  opposition. 

Election,  August,  1856 

Congress — Timothy  Davis,  rep.,  1,080  (705)  ;  Shepherd  Lefifler, 
dem.,  375. 


466  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Secretary  of  State — Elijah  Sells,  rep.,  1,002  (710)  ; Snyder^ 

dem.,  392. 

Senator — H.  D.  Carter,  rep.,  1,042  (621)  ;  A.  S.  Cooley,  dem.,  421. 

Representative — Bigelow,  rep.,  1,022  (509)  ;  Rogman,  rep.,  985 
(390)  ;  Tapper,  dem.,  513;  Ballou,  dem.,  595. 

Clerk — Thomas  Updegraff,  rep.,  1,138  (745)  :  W.  A.  Drips, 
dem.,  384. 

President — John  C.  Fremont,  rep.,  1,520  (772)  ;  James 
dem.,  748;  Millard  Fillmore,  Am.,  67. 

Election,  August,  1857 

County  Judge — O.  W.  Crary,  rep.,  1,380  (259)  ;  Eliphalet  Price, 
rep.,  1,121. 

Recorder — B.  F.  Fox,  dem.,  2,123  (2,112);  A.  C.  Woodward, 
rep.,  II. 

Attorney — Alphius  Scott,  rep.,  1,209  (i?)  5  William  Potter,  dem., 
1,192. 

Sheriff — James  Davis,  rep.,  1,611  (745);  R.  F.  Spaulding, 
dem.,  866. 

Surveyor — Murrey  E.  Smith,  rep.,  1,479  (481)  I  Lewis  Brockman, 
dem.,  998. 

Coroner — Nichalos  Kriebs,  dem.,  1,351  (i,335);  E.  G.  Rolf, 
rep.,  16. 

Election,  October,  1857 

Governor — Ralph  P.  Lowe,  rep.,  949  (230)  ;  Ben  N,  Samuels, 
dem.,  719;  J.  F.  Henry,  11. 

Election,  April,  1858 

County  Seat — Guttenberg,  2,038  (332)  ;  Elkader,  1,706. 
Superintendent — Alonzo  Brown,  rep.,  1,742  (1,624)  ;  R.  R.  Read, 
dem.,  118;  H.  C.  Martin,  21. 

Election,  October,  1858 

Congress — William  Vandever,  rep.,  1,493  (355)  ;  W.  E.  Leffingwell, 
dem.,  1,138. 

Secretary  of  State — Elijah  Sells,  rep.,  1,493  (339)  5  Samuel 
Douglas,  dem.,  1,154. 

District  Attorney — Elijah  Odell,  rep.,  1,642  (670)  ;  Milo  McGlath- 
ery,  rep.,  972. 

District  Judge — William  McClintock,  dem.,  1,480  (330)  ;  E.  H. 
Williams,  rep,  1,150. 

Clerk — Thomas  Updegraff,  rep.,  2,471  (2,460)  ;  E.  B.  Hutchinson, 
dem.,  II. 

Election,  October,  1859 

County  Judge — John  Garber,  rep.,  1,689  (49^)  5  D.  Baugh,  dem., 
1,198. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE    OF    ELECTIONS  46? 

Treasurer  and  Recorder — Jacob  Nicklaus,  rep.,  1,851  (677)  ;  B.  F. 
Fox,  dem.,  1,174. 

Sheriff — Jonathan  Kaufman,  dem.,  1,566  (289)  ;  William  S.  Scott, 
rep.,  1,277;  ^-  E.  Wanzer,  dem.,  136;  William  Scott,  rep.,  45. 

Surveyor — Ezra  Hurd,  dem.,  1,536  {y^))  ;  R.  J.  AlcClelland,  rep., 
1,463 ;  R.  G.  McClelland,  52. 

Superintendent — Horace  Emery,  rep.,  1,211  (218);  O.  D.  Eno, 
rep.,  993  ;  J.  W.  VanOrman,  rep.,  854. 

Coroner — John  P.  Kriebs,  dem.,  1,520  (30)  ;  F.  W.  Sherman, 
rep.,  1,490. 

Governor — S.  J.  Kirkwood,  rep.,  1,630  (206)  ;  A.  C.  Dodge,  dem., 
1,424. 

Election,  April,  i860 

County  Seat — Elkader,  2,019  (639) ;  Garnavillo,  1,380. 

Election,  i860 

President — Abraham  Lincoln,  rep.,  2,089  (S^?)  5  Stephen  A. 
Douglass,  dem.,  1,572;  John  C.  Breckenbridge,  dem.,  14;  John  Bell, 
Union,  5. 

Clerk — H.  S.  Granger,  rep.,  1,952  (338)  ;  O.  D.  Eno,  dem.,  1,614. 

Election,  October,  1861 

County  Judge — Alvah  C.  Rogers,  rep.,  2,142  (1,955)  ;  Alva 
Rogers,  187;  C.  A.  Dean,  rep.,  78;  J.  W.  Pott,  dem.,  27. 

Sheriff — John  Garber,  rep.,  1,647  (3^9)  5  Jonathan  Kaufman, 
dem.,  1,258. 

Treasurer  and  Recorder — Jacob  Nicklaus,  rep.,  2,432  (1,984); 
B.  F.  Fox,  dem.,  448. 

Superinteudeuf — Horace  Emery,  rep.,  2,432  (1,897)  ;  P.  Stock- 
feldt,  dem.,  535. 

Coroner — J.  Boetcher,  2,841  (2,838)  ;  J.  T.  Kriebs,  3. 

Surveyor — R.  J.  McClelland,  rep.,  1,965  (1,287);  E.  Trescott, 
dem.,  678;  E.  Hurd,  dem.,  60. 

Jail  Tax — For,  588;  against,  1,421  (833). 

Poor  House  Tax — For,  681 ;  against,  1,389  (708). 

Restraining  Sheep  and  Szmne — For,  1,417  (613)  ;  against,  804. 

Representative — D.  W.  Chase,  rep.,  2,761  (31)  ;  George  L.  Bass, 
dem.,  2,730 ;  S.  R.  Peet,  dem.,  10. 

Governor — S.  J.  Kirkwood,  rep.,  1,861  (871)  ;  D.  H.  Merritt,  dem., 
990 ;  H.  C.  Dean,  dem.,  50. 

Election,  October,  1862 

Secretary  of  State — James  Wright,  rep.,  1,491  (325)  ;  Richard 
Sylvester,  dem.,  1,166. 

Congress — W.  B.  Allison,  rep.,  1,511  (380);  D.  A.  Mahoney, 
dem.,  1,131. 


468  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

District  Judge — E.  H.  Williams,  rep.,  1,544  (703)  ;  W.  W.  Porter, 
dem.,  801. 

District  Attorney — Milo  McGlathery,  rep.,  1,515  (1,452);  J.  T. 
Stoneman,  dem.,  63. 

Clerk — H.  S.  Granger,  rep.,  2,009  (i>999)- 

Election,  October,  1863 

Governor — William  M.  Stone,  rep.,  2,022  (318)  ;  James  M.  Tuttle, 
dem.,  1,704. 

Senator — B.  T.  Hunt,  rep.,  2,387  (649)  ;  David  Hammer,  dem., 
1,738. 

Representatives — W.  J.  Gilchrist,  rep.,  2,427  (32)  ;  Henry  White, 
rep.,  2,395  (23)  ;  Leonard  Heinee,  dem.,  1,757;  Michael  Uriell,  dem., 

i>734- 

County  Judge — A.  C.  Rogers,  rep.,  2,383  (639)  ;  Charles  Watkins, 
dem.,  1,744. 

Treasurer  and  Recorder — Jacob  Nicklaus,  rep.,  2,590  (2,521)  ;  G.  Y. 
White,  69. 

Sheriff — John  Garber,  rep.,  2,406  (677)  ;  John  H.  Bowman,  dem., 
1,729. 

Superintendent — J.  A.  Kramer,  rep.,  2,151  (673)  ;  S.  R.  Peet, 
dem.,  1,478;  J.  Briggs,  dem.,  486. 

Surveyor — R.  J.  McClelland,  rep.,  2,375  (2,215)  J  Linsey  Seals, 
dem.,  160. 

Coroner — H.  D.  Brownson,  rep.,  2,375  (629)  ;  John  T.  Kriebs, 
dem.,  1,746. 

Election,  November,  1864 

President — Abraham  Lincoln,  rep.,  2,110  (468)  ;  George  B. 
McClellan,  dem.,  1,642. 

Congress — W.  B.  Allison,  rep.,  2,130  (505)  ;  B.  B.  Richards,  dem., 
1,625. 

Clerk — H.  S.  Granger,  rep.,  2,528  (865)  ;  S.  D.  Soyster,  dem., 
1,663. 

Recorder — J.  Oglesbee,  rep.,  2,544  (986)  ;  Henry  Freese,  dem., 
1,658. 

County  Seat — Elkader,  2,403  (794)  ;  McGregor,  1,609. 

Election,  October,  1865 

Governor — William  M.  Stone,  rep.,  1,633  (i04)5  T.  H.  Benton, 
dem.,  1,529. 

Lieutenant  Governor — B.  F.  Gue,  rep.,  1,845  (45')  5  W.  W. 
Hamilton,  dem.,  1,394. 

Representative — John  Garber,  rep.,  1,929  (280)  ;  P.  P.  Olmstead, 
rep.,  1,860  (114);  D.  H,  Hutchins,  rep.,  1,649;  ^-  Leffingwell,  ind.- 
rep.,  1,746  (97);  John  Hartenbauer,  dem.,  1,410;  D.  W.  Chase, 
rep.,  1,007. 

County  Judge — A.  C.  Rogers,  rep.,  1,948  (712)  ;  A.  Bierirs,  dem., 
1,236. 


STATISTICAL  TABLE  OF  ELECTIONS  469 

Treasurer — J.  C.  Vaupell,  rep.,  2,032  (1,117);  T.  G.  Drips, 
dem.,  915. 

Sheriff — Elisha  Boardman,  rep.,  3,234. 

Surveyor — R.  J.  McClellan,  rep.,  1,863  (508)  ;  S.  L.  Peck,  dem., 

1,355- 

Superintendent — George  Cook,  rep.,  1,807  (3^5)  ;  J.  Briggs,  dem., 
1,442. 

Coroner — H.  D.  Bronson,  rep.,  3,228. 

Building  Court  House  and  Jail — For,  1,275;  against,  1,847  (572)- 

Election,  October,  1866 

Secretary  of  State — E.  D.  Wright,  rep.,  2,262  (719)  ;  S.  C.  Van 
Anda,  dem.,  1,543. 

Congress — W.  B.  Allison,  rep.,  2,191  (577)  ;  R.  Noble,  dem.,  1,614. 

District  Judge — Milo  McGlathery,  rep.,  3,780. 

District  Attorney — L.  O.  Hatch,  rep.,  2,201  (637)  ;  J.  T.  Clark, 
dem.,  1,564, 

Clerk — H.  S.  Granger,  rep.,  2,160  (517)  ;  R.  L.  Freeman,  dem., 

1,643- 

Recorder — W.  D.  Crooke,  rep.,  1,878  (312)  ;  P.  Redeman,  dem., 

1,566;  J.  Oglesbee,  rep.,  344. 

Election,  October,  1867 

Governor — S.  Merrill,  rep.,  2,555  (81 1)  >  C.  Mason,  dem.,  1,744. 

Senator — H.  E.  Newell,  4,102. 

Treasurer — J.  C.  Vaupell,  rep.,  4,324. 

Sheriff — James  Davis,  rep.,  4,374. 

Judge — C.  A.  Dean,  rep.,  4,249. 

Surveyor — M.  E.  Smith,  rep.,  2,187  (83)  ;  Carl  Kostman,  dem., 
2,104. 

Superintendent — W.  A.  Preston,  rep.,  2,180  (59)  ;  J.  Briggs,  dem., 
2,121. 

Coroner — H.  D.  Brownson,  rep.,  4,250. 

Representatives — N.  Hamilton,  rep.,  2,518  (654)  ;  James  New- 
berry, rep.,  2,122  (123)  ;  P.  G.  Bailey,  rep.,  2,454  (663)  ;  J.  C.  Rounds, 
dem.,  1,864;  J-  Vanstaden,  dem.,  1,999;  Phillip  Fishel,  dem.,  1,791. 

County  Seat — Elkader,  2,477  (7ii)  5  Garnavillo,  1,766. 

Bridge  Across  Turkey — For,  407;  against,  2,832  (2,452). 

Election,  November,  1868 

President — U.  S.  Grant,  rep.,  2,783  (831);  Horatio  Seymour, 
dem.,  1,952. 

District  Attorney — H.  O'Conner,  rep.,  2,789  (834)  ;  J.  E.  William- 
son, dem.,  1,955. 

Congress — W.  B.  Allison,  rep.,  2,715  (696)  ;  William  Mills,  dem., 
2,019. 

Circuit  Judge — B.  T.  Hunt,  rep.,  4420. 


470  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Clerk — H.  S.  Granger,  rep.,  2,675  (632)  ;  A.  W.  Daugherty,  dem., 
2,043. 

Recorder — W.  D.  Crooke,  rep.,  2,681  (663)  ;  Paul  Stockfeldt, 
dem.,  2,018. 

Jail  Tax — For,  2,603  (1,249)  ;  against,  1,354. 

Election,  October,  1869 

Governor — S.  Merrill,  rep.,  1,890  (511)  ;  George  Gillaspy,  dem., 

1,379- 

Representatives — S.  Murdock,  rep.,   1,511    (338)  ;  H.  B.  Taylor, 

rep.,  1,514  (341)  ;  R.  C.  Place,  dem.,  942;  L.  R.  Gilbert,  dem.,  1,173; 

M.  O'Brien,  dem.,  936. 

Auditor — M.  E.  Duff,  rep.,  2,020  (874)  ;  Phillip  Redeman,  dem., 
1,146. 

Treasurer — Henry  Kellner,  rep.,  1,625  (16)  ;  Chas.  Schultze, 
1 ,609. 

Sheriff — James  Davis,  rep.,  1,555  (294)  ;  T.  Hopkins,  dem.,  1,261 ; 
James  Jack,  rep.,  467. 

Superintendent — William  C.  McNeil,  rep.,  1,197;  John  Everall, 
dem.,  2,081  (884). 

Surveyor — S.  L.  Peck,  rep.,  1,882  (437)  ;  E.  Hurd,  dem.,  1,445. 

Coroner — H.  D.  Brownson,  rep.,  1,924  (594)  ;  John  P.  Kriebs, 
dem.,  1,335. 

Bridge  on  Turkey  River — For,  631 ;  against,  1,777  (1,146)- 

Election,  October,  1870 

Secretary  of  State — Ed.  Wright,  rep.,  1,984  (324)  ;  Chas.  Doerr, 
dem.,  1,660. 

Congress — W.  G.  Donnan,  rep.,  1,769;  John  T.  Stoneman,  dem., 

1,857  (88). 

District  Judge — Milo  McGlathery,  rep.,  1,990. 

District  Attorney — C.  T.  Granger,  rep.,  1,993. 

Supervisors — O.  W.  Crary,  rep.,  2,076  (381)  ;  P.  P.  Olmstead, 
rep.,  1,897  (231);  Henry  White,  rep.,  1,760;  Michael  Uriell,  dem., 
1,770  (10)  ;  C.  P.  Goodrich,  dem.,  1,666;  J.  C.  Rounds,  dem.,  1,695. 

Clerk — H.  S.  Granger,  rep.,  2,127. 

Recorder — R.  L.  Freeman,  dem.,  1,971  (306)  ;  Peter  Karberg, 
rep.,  1,665. 

Increasing  Supervisors  to  7 — For,  913;  against,  1,868  (955). 

Restraining  Stock — For,  870;  against,  2,225  (1,355). 

State  Convention — For,  724;  against,  1,696  (972). 

Election,  October,  1871 

Governor — C.  C.  Carpenter,  rep.,  1,952  (319)  ;  J.  C.  Knapp.,  dem., 
1,633. 

Senator — O.  W.  Crary,  rep.,  1,845  (109)  ;  John  T.  Stoneman, 
dem.,  1,736. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  4/1 

Representatives — Louis  Reuther,  rep.,  1,745  (58)  ;  R.  B.  Flenni- 
ken,  rep.,  1,904  (401)  ;  J.  M.  Hagensick,  dem.,  1,687;  Rufus  Richard- 
son, dem.,  1,503 ;  R.  C.  Place,  dem.,  250. 

Supervisor — Gilbert  Cooley,  rep.,  1,801  (80)  ;  John  H.  Bowman, 
dem,,  1,721. 

Auditor — Martin  Garber,  rep.,  1,909  (259)  ;  A.  W.  Daugherty, 
dem.,  1,650. 

Treasurer — Henry  Kellner,  rep.,  1,941. 

Sheriff — James  Davis,  rep.,  1,827  (81);  T.  M.  Hopkins,  dem., 
1,746. 

Superintendent — O.  D.  Oathout,  rep.,  1,512;  John  Everall,  dem., 

2,066  (544)- 

Surveyor — S.  L.  Peck,  rep.,  1,974  (371)  ;  Ezra  Hurd,  dem.,  1,630. 
Coroner — H.  D.  Brownson,  rep.,  3,571. 

Election,  November,  1872 

President — U.  S.  Grant,  rep.,  2,298  (201)  ;  Horace  Greeley,  lib., 
2,097 ;  Chas.  O'Conner,  27. 

Congress — John  T.  Stoneman,  dem.,  2,386  (285)  ;  WilHam  G. 
Donnan,  rep.,  2,101. 

Circuit  Judge — C.  T.  Granger,  rep.,  4,462. 

Clerk — Marvin  Cook,  rep.,  2,320  (176)  ;  L.  A.  Mahoney,  dem., 
2,156. 

Recorder — Robert  L.  Freeman,  dem.,  2,300  (119);  John  D. 
Meyer,  rep.,  2,181. 

Supervisor — P.  P.  Olmstead,  rep.,  2,357  (^35)  ;  William  P.  Eno, 
dem.,  2,122. 

Election,  October,  1873 

Governor — C.  C.  Carpenter,  rep.,  1,566;  J.  G.  Vale,  dem.,  1,997 

(431)- 

District  Attorney — O.  J.  Clark,  rep.,  1,536. 

Representative — A.  F.  Tipton,  rep.,  1,442;  Alexander  Bleidung, 
rep.,  1,675;  J-  C.  Rounds,  dem.,  2,047  (605)  ;  B.  F.  Schroeder,  dem., 
1,878  (203). 

Auditor — Martin  Garber,  rep.,  1,791. 

Treasurer — Henry  Kellner,  rep.,  2,143  (736)  ;  Adolph  Papin, 
dem.,  1,407. 

Sheriff — T-  A.  Hysham,  rep.,  1,335;  W.  A.  Benton,  dem.,  2,186 

(850- 

Superintendent — J.  F.  Thompson,  rep.,  1,762. 

Surveyor — E.  Hurd,  dem.,  1,848  (112)  ;  S.  L.  Peck,  rep.,  1,736. 

Coroner — H.  D.  Brownson,  rep.,  3,563. 

Supervisor — M.  Uriell,  dem.,   1,937    (318)  ;  J.  R.  Jarrett,  rep., 

1,616. 

Election,  October,  1874 

Secretary  of  State— D.  Morgan,  dem.,  1,953  (582)  ;  J.  T.  Young, 
rep.,  1,371. 


472  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Congress — L.  L.  Ainsworth,  dem.,  1,921  (507)  ;  C.  T.  Granger, 
rep.,  1,414. 

District  Judge — R.  Noble,  dem.,  2,354  (1,380)  ;  M.  McGlathery, 
rep.,  968. 

District  Attorney — G.  L.  Faust,  dem.,  2,109  (881)  ;  O.  G.  Clark, 
rep.,  1,227. 

Clerk — A.  C.  Rogers,  dem.,  1,494;  M.  Cook,  rep.,  1,843  (349)« 

Recorder — R.  L.  Freeman,  dem.,  2,043  (754)  J  John  Crooke,  rep., 
1,289. 

Supervisor — C.  Mentzel,  dem.,  1,605;  W.  Thoma,  rep.,  1,737 
(132). 

Election,  October,  1875 

Governor — S.  J.  Kirkwood,  rep.,  1,839;  Shepherd  Leffler,  dem., 

2,171   (332). 

Senator — O.  W.  Crary,  rep.,  1,942 ;  John  T.  Stoneman,  dem.,  2,055 

(113). 

Representatives — J.  L.  Hagensick,  rep.,  1,873;  James  Newberry, 

rep.,  1.572;  Chas.  Mentzel,  dem.,  2,317  (444)  ;  Thos.  D.  White,  dem., 
2,138  (566). 

Auditor — Martin  Garber,  rep.,  2,167  (326)  ;  John  Everall,  dem., 
1,841. 

Treasurer — Henry  Kellner,  rep.,  2,060  (133);  J.  M.  Hagensick, 
dem.,  1,927. 

Sheriff — James  Jack,   rep.,    1,524;   W.   A.    Benton,   dem.,   2,477 

(953)- 

Superintendent — J.  F.  Thompson,  rep.,  2,015. 

Surveyor — S.  L,  Peck,  rep.,  1,959;  Emmett  Brown,  dem., 
2,056  (97). 

Coroner — J.  C.  Hoxsie,  dem.,  2,148. 

Supervisor — Isaac  Otis,  dem.,  2,100  (181)  ;  P.  P.  Olmstead,  rep., 
1,919.  - 

Election,  November,  1876 

President — Rutherford  B.  Hayes,  rep.,  2,661  (40)  ;  Samuel  J. 
Tilden,  dem.,  2,621. 

Congress — T.  W.  Burdick,  rep.,  2,662  (15)  ;  J.  M.  Griffith,  dem., 
2,647. 

Circuit  Judge — C.  T.  Granger,  rep.,  2,676. 

Clerk — Marvin  Cook,  rep.,  3,004    (680)  ;  B.  P.  Ransom,  dem., 

2,324. 

Recorder — C.  L.  ]McGonigle,  dem.,  2,717  (182)  ;  H.  C.  Boardman, 
rep.,  2,535. 

Surveyor — Chas.  Schecker,  rep.,  2,877  (43°)  !  J-  ^-  Zearley,  dem., 

2,447- 

Supervisor — A.  Eberhard,  dem.,  2,909  (519)  ;  O.  W.  Crary,  rep., 

2,390. 

Supervisor  (to  fill  vacancy) — P.  P.  Olmstead,  rep.,  2,662  (46)  ; 
R.  Humphrey,  dem.,  2,616. 

Restraining  Stock — For,  1,376;  against,  2,625  (1,249). 


statistical  table  of  elections  473 

Election,  October,  1877 

Governor — John  H.  Gear,  rep.,  1,873  (103)  5  John  P.  Irish,  dem., 
1,770;  Daniel  P.  Stubbs,  66;  Elias  Jusup,  167. 

Representatives — Thos.  Updegraff,  rep.,  2,151  (456)  ;  A. 
Bleidung,  rep.,  1,949  (114)  ;  T.  D.  White,  dem.,  1,835;  Chas.  Mentzel, 
dem.,  1,695. 

Sheriff — W.  A.  Benton,  dem.,  2,138  (410)  ;  George  L.  Tremain, 
rep.,  1,728. 

Treasurer — Henry  Kellner,  rep.,  1,947  (21)  ;  Chas.  E.  Floete, 
dem.,  1,926. 

Auditor — Martin  Garber,  rep.,  2,268  (693)  ;  Patrick  Regan,  dem., 

1,575- 

Superintendent — P.  W.   McClelland,  rep.,  2,158   (446) ;  W.  A. 

McDonald,  dem,  1,712. 

Surveyor — Chas.  Schecker,  rep.,  2,205  (534)  ;  John  Zearley,  dem., 
1,671. 

Coroner — W.  A.  Penfile,  rep.,  2,123  (186);  J.  C.  Hoxsie,  dem., 

1,837. 

Siiperznsor — P.  P.  Olmstead,  rep.,  2,147  (481)  ;  James  McKinley, 

dem.,  1,693. 

Election,  October,  1878 

Secretary  of  State — J.  A.  T.  Hull,  rep.,  2,428;  E.  M.  Farnsworth, 
dem.,  2,445  (17)- 

Congress — Thos.  Updegraff,  rep.,  2,507  (808)  ;  Fred  O'Donnell, 
dem.,  1,699;  S.  T.  Spangler,  greenback,  688. 

District  Judge — O.  J.  Clark,  rep.,  1,383;  Reuben  Noble,  dem., 
3,496  (2,113). 

District  Attorney — Robert  Quigley,  rep.,  2,601  (325)  ;  C.  Welhng- 
ton,  dem.,  2,276. 

Clerk — Marvin  Cook,  rep.,  3,021  (1,390);  O.  L.  Emery,  dem., 
1,631. 

Recorder — T.  G.  Price,  rep.,  2,101 ;  C.  L.  McGonigle,  dem.,  2,776 

(675)- 

Supervisor — O.   W.    Crary,    rep.,   2,366;   G.   H.    Scofield.   dem., 

2,520  (154). 

Restraining  Stock — For,  1,618;  against,  2,181.(563). 

Election,  October,  1879 

Governor — John  H.  Gear,  rep.,  2,693  (474)  ;  H.  H.  Trimble,  dem., 
2,219;  Daniel  Campbell,  gb.,  192;  D.  R.  Dungan,  19. 

Senator — Martm  Garber,  rep.,  2,716  (322)  ;  John  T.  Stoneman, 
dem.,  2,394. 

Representatives — Gregor  McGregor,  rep.,  2,884  (381)  ;  Eugene 
Meuth,  rep.,  2,503 ;  John  Van  Staden,  dem.,  2,592  (89)  ;  O.  B.  Blanch- 
ard,  dem.,  2,096. 

Treasurer — C.  E.  Floete,  dem.,  2,494  (146);  L.  F.  Carrier,  rep., 
2,348 ;  Adolph  Papin,  gb.,  248. 


474  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Auditor — J.  M.  Leach,  rep.,  2,618  (138);  John  Everall,  dem., 
2,480. 

Superintendent — P.  W.  McClelland,  rep.,  2,719  (385)  ;  J.  Briggs, 
dem.,  2,334. 

Sheriff — L.  H.  Place,  dem.,  2,795  (511)  ;  James  Schroeder,  rep., 
2,284. 

Supervisor — Helmuth  Brandt,  rep.,  2,716  (364)  ;  James  Uriell, 
dem.,  2,352. 

Surveyor — Chas.  Schecker,  rep.,  2,769  (417)  ;  Ezra  Hurd,  dem., 
2,352. 

Coroner — W.  A.  Penfield,  rep.,  2,685  (273)  ;  E.  C.  Hills,  dem., 
2,412. 

Election,  November,  1880 

President — James  A.  Garfield,  rep.,  3,098  (679)  ;  W.  S.  Hancock, 
dem.,  2,419;  J.  B.  Weaver,  gb.,  108;  Neal  Dow,  prohib.,  6. 

Circuit  Judge — C.  T.  Granger,  rep.,  3,116  (3,002)  ;  O.  J.  Clark, 
rep.,  114. 

Circuit  Judge  (to  fill  vacancy) — E.  C.  Cooley,  rep.,  2,742  (55)  ; 
O.  J.  Clark,  rep.,  2,687. 

Congress — Thos.  Updegraff,  rep.,  3,119  (731)  ;  William  G.  Stew- 
art, dem.,  2,388 ;  M.  H.  Moore,  gb.,  99. 

Striking  "Free  White"  from  Constitution — For,  2,201  (830)  ; 
against,  1,371. 

Constitutional  Convention — For,  1,187;  against,  1,826  (639). 

Clerk — J.  F.  Thompson,  rep.,  3,169  (816)  ;  Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem., 
2,354 ;  D.  E.  Grout,  gb.,  90. 

Recorder — Chas.  Schecker,  rep.,  2,961  (392)  ;  Chas.  L.  McGoni- 
gle,  dem.,  2,569;  Hezekiah  Doolittle,  gb.,  78. 

Supervisor — A.  F.  Nichols,  rep.,  3,104  (663);  James  McKinley, 
dem.,  2,441 ;  W.  P.  Eno,  gb.,  yy. 

Restraining  Stock — For,  2,033;  against,  2,300  (267). 

Election,  October,  1881 

Governor — Buren  R.  Sherman,  rep.,  2,151  (199)  ;  L.  G.  Kinney, 
dem.,  1,917;  D.  W.  Clark,  gb.,  32;  W.  M.  Johnston,  prohib.,  3. 

Representatives — Eugene  Meuth,  rep.,  2,027 ;  Gregor  McGregor, 
rep.,  2,190  (no)  ;  J.  H.  Bowman,  dem.,  1,625 ;  John  Van  Staden,  dem., 
2,080  (53)  ;  L.  F.  Carrier,  gb.,  155 ;  G.  L.  C.  Scott,  gb.,  169. 

Auditor — J.  M.  Leach,  rep.,  2,363  (2,260)  ;  Robert  Lindsay,  dem., 
103. 

Treasurer — C.  E.  Floete,  dem.,  2,626  (1,166)  ;  Adam  Schneider, 
rep.,  1,460. 

Sheriff — L.  H.  Place,  dem.,  2,175  (335)  ;  C.  Morgan,  rep.,  1,840; 
David  Moody,  84. 

Surveyor — S.  L.  Peck,  rep.,  2,287  (609)  ;  J.  H.  Zearley,  dem., 
1,678. 

Superintendent — O.  D.  Oathout,  rep.,  2,100  (91);  John  Everall, 
dem.,  2,009. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  475 

Coroner — W.  A.  Penfield,  rep.,  2,127  (373)  5  ]o\\n  W.  Stahl, 
dem.,  1,754;  George  Comstock,  90;  George  Scofield,  88;  F.  C.  Madi- 
son, 34. 

Supervisor — George  H.  Schofield,  dem.,  1,995  (i53)  J  George  Com- 
stock, rep.,  1,842;  F.  C.  Madison,  48. 

Restraining  Stock — For,  1,635  '■>  against,  2,085  (45°)  • 

Special  Election,  June,  1882 

Prohibitory  Amendment — For  amendment,  1,823;  against,  2,965 
(1,142). 

Election,  November,  1882 

Secretary  of  State — J.  A.  T.  Hull,  rep.,  1,922 ;  T.  O.  Walker,  dem., 
2,645  {7^Z)\  W.  J.  Gaston,  gb.,  102. 

Congress — Thos.  Updegraff,  rep.,  2,228  (67)  ;  L.  H.  Weller,  dem., 
2,161. 

District  Judge — E.  C.  Cooley,  rep.,  1,421  ;  L.  O.  Hatch,  dem.,  3,209 
(1,788). 

District  Attorney — H.  P.  Hancock,  rep.,  1,849;  C.  Wellington, 
dem.,  2,792  (943). 

Clerk — J.  F.  Thompson,  rep.,  2,537  (456)  ;  James  E.  Corlett,  dem., 
2,081. 

Recorder — Chas.  Schecker,  rep.,  2,413  (188)  ;  Chas.  Reugnitz, 
dem.,  2,225. 

Supervisor — Helmuth  Brandt,  rep.,  2,162;  Frank  Schoulte,  dem., 
2,469  (307). 

Election,  October,  1883 

Governor — Buren  R.  Sherman,  rep.,  2,196;  L.  G.  Kinney,  dem., 
2,926  (730)  ;  J.  B.  Weaver,  gb.,  60. 

Senator — James  P.  Patrick,  rep.,  2,530 ;  F.  D.  Bayless,  dem.,  2,645 

(115)- 

Representatives — Henry  Meder,  rep.,  2,307 ;  H.  S.  Merritt,  rep., 

2,273   (555)  ;  Chas.  Mentzel,  dem.,  2,828   (586)  ;  John  Killem,  dem., 

2,893. 

Auditor — J.   M.   Leach,   rep.,   2,269 !    John  Everall,   dem.,   2,909 

(640). 

Treasurer — Gustav  Dittmer,  rep.,  2,357;  Chas.  E.  Floete,  dem., 

2,808  (451). 

Sheriff — Peter  Flaherty,  rep.,  2,493 ;  August  Borman,  dem.,  2,550 

(57). 

Surveyor — S.  L.  Peck,  rep.,  2,234;  J.  H.  Zearley,  dem.,  2,938 

(704). 

Superintendent — O.  D.  Oathout,  rep.,  2,384 ;  George  Smart,  dem., 

2.759  (375)- 

Coroner — Thomas  Fisher,  rep.,  2,241 ;  J.  W.  Pain,  dem.,  2,926 

(685). 

Supervisor — A.  F.  Nichols,  rep.,  2,199;  James  McKinley,  dem., 
2,966  (767). 


476  memoirs  of  clayton  county 

Election,  November,  1884 

President — James  G.  Blaine,  rep.,  2,536;  Grover  Cleveland,  dem., 
3,219  (683). 

Congress — W.  E.  Fuller,  rep.,  2,502;  L.  H.  Weller,  dem.,  3,262 
(760). 

Circuit  Judge — C.  T.  Granger,  rep.,  2,507 ;  John  F.  Dayton,  dem., 
3,268  (761). 

Clerk — V.  F.  Davis,  rep.,  2,679;  J-  E.  Corlett,  dem.,  3,078  (399). 

Recorder — Chas.  Schecker,  rep.,  2,794 ;  Mathew  Fitzpatrick,  dem., 
2,970  (176). 

Supervisor — George  White,  rep.,  2,517;  John  H.  Welch,  dem,, 
3,240  (723). 

Election,  November,  1885 

Governor — Chas.  E.  Whiting,  dem.,  2,975;  William  Larrabee, 
rep.,  2,133  (842). 

Representatives — John  Killem,  dem.,  3,078  (812)  ;  J.  F.  Thomp- 
son, dem.,  2,898  (632);  Samuel  Murdock,  rep.,  2,266;  John  Keeling, 
rep.,  1,929. 

Auditor — John  Everall,  dem.,  3,088  (1,051);  Wilkes  Williames, 
rep.,  2,037. 

Treasurer — Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  2,975  (829)  ;  Chas.  Schecker, 
rep.,  2,146. 

Sheriff — August  Boeman,  dem.,  2,814  (512)  ;  L.  G.  Webb,  rep., 
2,302. 

Superintendent — George  Smart,  dem.,  2,997  (879)  ;  C.  C.  Keen, 
rep.,  2,118. 

Surveyor — John  Zearley,  dem.,  3,003  (887)  ;  S.  L.  Peck,  rep., 
2,116. 

Coroner — John  W.  Cain,  dem.,  2,729  (372)  ;  C.  W.  Duffin,  rep., 

2,357- 

Supervisor — Frank  Shoulte,  dem.,  2,652  (233)  ;  Nick  Friedlein, 
rep.,  2,419. 

Election^  November,  1886 

Secretary  of  State — Frank  D.  Jackson,  rep.,  2,169;  Cato  Sells, 
dem.,  3,227  (1,056). 

District  Judge — C.  T.  Granger,  rep.,  2,147;  H.  T.  Read,  rep., 
1,985;  L.  O.  Hatch,  dem.,  3,398  (1,251)  ;  John  F.  Dayton,  dem.,  3,241 
(1,094). 

Clerk — J.  E.  Corlett,  dem.,  3,266. 

Recorder — T.  H.  Olson,  rep.,  2,147;  M.  Fitzpatrick,  dem.,  3,242 
(1,094). 

Supervisor — N.   Friedlein,  rep.,  2,234;  James   McKinley,   dem., 

3,159  (925)- 

Attorney — T.   M.  Davidson,  rep.,  2,324;  Robert  Quigley,  dem., 

3,040  (715). 

Congress — W.  E.  Fuller,  rep.,  2,175 !  W.  C.  Earle,  dem.,  3,219 

(1,044). 


statistical  table  of  elections  477 

Election,  November,  1887 

Governor — William  Larrabee,  rep.,  1,960;  T.  J.  Anderson,  dem., 
3,175  (1,165). 

Senator — J.  P.  Patrick,  rep.,  2,340;  F.  D.  Bayless,  dem.,  2,798 

(458). 

Representatives — W.  W.  Goodwin,  rep.,  2,031;  J.  F.  Thompson, 

dem.,  3,081  (1,050). 

Auditor — J.  W.  Buhlmann,  rep.,  1,874;  John  Everall,  dem.,  3,268 

(1,394)- 

Treasurer — Henry  Meyer,  rep.,  1,125  I  Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  3,281 

(2,156). 

Sheriff — William  Wellman,  rep.,  2,079;  J-  J-  Kann,  dem.,  3,024 

(945)- 

Surveyor — S.  L.  Peck,  rep.,  2,025  >  ^-  C.  Hagensick,  dem.,  3,082 

(1,057). 

Superintendent — J.  W.  Wyatt,  rep.,  2,152;  H.  C.  Bishop,  dem., 

2,991  (839)- 

Coroner — L.  L.  Renshaw,  rep.,  2,131 ;  J.  W.  Cain,  dem.,  3,003 

(872). 

Supervisor — Patrick   Costigan,  rep.,  2,178;  John  Luther,   dem., 

2,975  (797)- 

Election,  November,  1888 

President — Benjamin  Harrison,  rep.,  2,576;  Grover  Cleveland, 
dem.,  3,311  (735). 

Congress — J.  H.  Sweeney,  rep.,  2,572;  L.  S.  Reque,  dem.,  3,349 

{777)- 

Clerk — William  C.  McNeil,  rep.,  2,525 ;  James  E.  Corlett,  dem., 

3,420  (895). 

Recorder — Thomas  H.  Oleson,  rep.,  2,569;  M.  Fitzpatrick,  dem., 

3,374  (805). 

Attorney — Samuel  Murdock,  rep.,  2,709;  Robert  Quigley,  dem., 
3,222  (513). 

Supervisor — George  McGregor,  rep.,  2,815;  John  H.  Welch,  dem., 
3,122  (307). 

Restraining  Stock — For,  2,537  (160);  against,  2,377. 

Election,  November,  1889 

Governor — Horace  Boies,  dem.,  3,395  (1,626)  ;  J.  G.  Hutchinson, 

rep.,  1,735- 

Judge— ^.  A.  Hoyt,  dem.,  3,395   (1,539);  L.  E.  Fellows,  rep., 

1,802. 

Representative — George  L.  Gilbert,  dem.,  3,268  (1,382);  Thos. 
Edgar,  rep.,  1,886. 

Auditor — E.  W.  Adams,  dem.,  3,378  (1,614)  ;  G.  P.  Burgess,  rep., 

1,763- 

Treasurer — Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  3,388. 

Sheriff — J.  J.  Kann,  dem.,  3,286  (1,473)  5  Alexander  Blake,  rep., 

1,810. 


4/8  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Superintendent — H.  C.  Bishop,  dem.,  3,219  (1,309)  ;  J.  N.  Dahn, 
rep.,  1,910. 

Coroner — F.  J.  Kriebs,  dem.,  3,266  (1,391)  ;  L.  L.  Renshaw,  rep., 
1,867. 

Supervisor — James  Rogers,  dem.,  3,104  (1,069);  J-  W.  Kregel, 
rep.,  2,035. 

Election^  November,  1890 

Secretary  of  State — W.  H.  Chamberlin,  dem.,  3,437  (1,305)  ;  W. 
W.  McFarland,  rep.,  2,132. 

Congress — W.  H.  Butler,  dem.,  3,490  (1,416);  J.  H.  Sweeney, 
rep.,  1,974. 

District  Judges — L.  O.  Hatch,  dem.,  3,554  (1,501)  ;  Wilham  A. 
Hoyt,  dem.,  3,527  (1,587)  ;  A.  C.  Stewart,  rep.,  2,053  5  J-  W.  Sandusky, 
rep.,  1,940. 

Clerk — M.  P.  Dunn,  dem.,  3,380  (1,195)  ;  T.  M.  Davidson,  rep., 
2,185. 

Recorder — Fred  H.  Soil,  dem.,  3,395  (1,221)  ;  John  Anderegg, 
rep.,  2,174. 

Attorney — D.  D.  Murphy,  dem.,  3,453  (1,356)  ;  R.  E.  Price,  rep., 
2,098. 

Supervisor — Joseph  Andres,  dem.,  3,492  (1,412);  Fred  Arnold, 
rep.,  2,080. 

Surveyor — A.  Burlingame,  dem.,  3,462  (1,349)  ;  Ole  Nelson,  rep., 

2,113- 

Constitutional  Convention — For,  228;  against,  3,281  (3,053). 

Election,  November,  1891 

Governor — Horace  Boies,  dem.,  3,580  (1,511);  H.  C.  Wheeler, 
rep.,  2,060. 

Senator — John  Everall,  dem.,  3,579  (1,528)  ;  Martin  Garber,  rep., 
2,051. 

Representative — George  L.  Gilbert,  dem.,  2,550  (1,471);  C.  A. 
Meuth,  rep.,  2,079. 

Supervisor — Charles  Mentzel,  dem.,  3,484  (1,333);  H.  B. 
Wheeler,  rep.,  2,151. 

Treasurer — Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  2ifi^7- 

Sheriff — J.  J.   Kann.,  dem.,  2,959    (S^o)  5  Fred   Bergman,  rep., 

2,579- 

Surveyor — A.  Burlingame,  dem.,  3,580  (1,525)  ;  Ole  Nelson,  rep., 

2,055. 

Superintendent — H.  C.  Bishop,  dem.,  3,414  (1,222) ;  O.  D.  Oath- 
out,  rep.,  2,192. 

Coroner — F.  J.  Kriebs,  dem.,  3,553  (1,479)  '>  ^-  ^-  Hall,  rep.,  2,074. 

Election,  November,  1892 

President — Grover  Cleveland,  dem.,  3,337  (894)  ;  Benjamin  Har- 
rison, rep.,  2,443. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  479 

Congress — W.  H.  Butler,  dem.,  3,349  (868)  ;  Thos.  Updegraff, 
rep.,  2,481. 

Auditor — E.  W.  Adams,  dem.,  3,409  (991);  C.  T.  Peick,  rep., 
2,418. 

Clerk — M.  P.  Dunn,  dem.,  3,358  (889)  ;  Chas.  Newberry,  rep., 
2,469. 

Attorney — D.  D.  Murphy,  dem.,  3,361   (908)  ;  V.  T.  Price,  rep., 

2,453- 

Recorder — F.  H.  Soil,  dem.,  3,389  (952)  ;  A.  P.  Bock,  rep.,  2,437. 

Supervisor — James  Rogers,  dem.,  3,328  (825)  ;  P.  P.  Olmstead, 

Jr.,  rep.,  2,503. 

Surveyor — J.  H.  Zearley,  dem.,  3,370   (915)  ;  Ole  Nelson,  rep., 

2,455- 

Election,  November,  1893 

Governor — Horace  Boies,  dem.,  2,961  (709)  ;  Frank  B.  Jackson, 
rep.,  2,252. 

Representative — C.  L.  McGonigle,  dem.,  2,847  (43o)  5  Q-  A. 
Sloane,  rep.,  2,417. 

Treasurer — Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  5,248. 

Sheriff — J.  K.  Molumby,  dem.,  1,780;  Fred  Cook,  rep.,  3,544 
(1,764). 

Surveyor — J.  H.  Zearley,  dem.,  2,884   (5ii)j  Ole  Nelson,  rep., 

2'373-         .  .  ,  .  . 

Superintendent — Sumner  Miller,  dem.,  3,006  (734)  ;  Daniel  Costi- 

gan,  rep.,  2,272. 

Coroner — F.  J.  Kroebs,  dem.,  2,861  (465)  ;  L.  D.  Shambaugh,  rep., 

2,396- 

Supervisor — W.  H.  Oelke,  dem.,  2,237  j  William  Monlux,  rep., 
3,024  (787). 

Election,  November,  1894 

Secretary  of  State — H.  F.  Dale,  dem.,  2,773  (232)  ;  W.  M.  McFar- 
land,  rep.,  2,541. 

Congress — J.  F.  Babcock,  dem.,  2,689  (37)  5  Thomas  Updegraff, 
rep.,  2,652. 

Judges — J.  F.  Dayton,  dem.,  2,916  (401)  ;  W.  A.  Hoyt,  dem., 
2,946  (431)  ;  L.  E.  Fellows,  rep.,  2,515;  A.  N.  Hobson,  rep.,  2,486. 

Judge  (to  fill  vacancy) — E.  E.  Cooley,  dem.,  2,333. 

Auditor — E.  W.  Adams,  dem.,  2,879  (347)  5  G.  M.  Gifford,  rep., 
2,532. 

Clerk — M.  P.  Dunn,  dem.,  2,801  (181);  R.  M.  Fonda,  Jr.,  rep., 
2,620. 

Attorney — J.  E.  Corlett,  dem.,  2,797  (168);  V.  T.  Price,  rep., 
2,629. 

Recorder — F.  H.  Soil,  dem.,  2,751   (97)  ;  John  G.  Hemple,  rep., 

2,654. 

Supervisor — George  H.  Scofield,  dem.,  2,699;  Henry  Meder,  rep., 
2,708  (9). 

The  election  of  Meder  was  contested  and  Scofield  declared 
elected. 


480  memoirs  of  clayton  county 

Election,  November,  1895 

Governor — W.  I.  Babb,  dem.,    2,881   (484)  ;  F.  M.  Drake,  rep., 

2,397- 

Senator — John   Everall,   dem.,  2,984    (582)  ;   R.   E.   Price,   rep., 

2,402. 

Representative — T.  J.  Sullivan,  dem.,  2,731  (64)  ;  Henry  Meder, 
rep.,  2,667. 

Treasurer — Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  3,023  (648)  ;  John  F.  Becker, 
rep.,  2,375. 

Sheriff — E.  E.  Benton,  dem.,  3,005  (596)  ;  A.  C.  Boyle,  rep.,  2,409. 

Superintendent — Sumner  Miller,  dem.,  3,054  (730)  ;  Jessie  Brown, 
rep.,  2,324. 

Supervisor — J.  F.  W.  Kaiser,  dem.,  2,882  (392)  ;  N.  Friedlein, 
rep.,  2,490. 

Coroner — C.  E.  Scholz,  dem.,  2,855   (334)  J  G.  H.  Porter,  rep., 

2,521. 

Surveyor — H.  L.  Dayton,  dem.,  2,825   (273)  ;  Ole  Nelson,  rep., 

2,552. 

Election,  November,  1896 

President — William  McKinley,  rep.,  3,302  (384)  ;  William  J. 
Bryan,  dem.,  2,854. 

Congress — Thos.  Updegraff,  rep.,  3,301  (327)  ;  F.  D.  Bayless, 
dem.,  2,957. 

Auditor — John  C.  Hemple,  rep.,  3,157  (33)  ;  A.  C.  Hagensick, 
dem.,  3,124. 

Attorney — T.  M.  Davidson,  rep.,  3,224  (183)  ;  J.  E.  Corlett,  dem., 

3.041- 

Clerk — Daniel  Costigan,  rep.,  3,281  (286)  ;  McB.  McGonigle,  dem., 

2,995- 

Recorder — T.  H.  Olson,  rep.,  3,075;  John  H.  Hill,  dem.,  3,196 

(122). 

Supervisor — William  Monlux,   rep.,   3,370   (470)  ;  John  Luther 

dem.,  2,900. 

Election,  November,  1897 

Governor — L.  M.  Shaw,  rep.,  2,499;  F-  E.  White,  dem.,  2,692 

(193)- 

Representative — P.  P.  Olmstead,  rep.,  2,568 ;  P.  W.  Conley,  dem., 

2,644  (46). 

Treasurer — J.  F.  Becker,  rep.,  2,305;  Chas.  Reugnitz,  dem.,  2,951 
(646). 

Sheriff — C.  G.  Schmidt,  rep.,  2,137;  E.  E.  Benton,  dem.,  3,090 

(953)- 

Superintendent — J.  N.  Dahm,  rep.,  2,395  5  Sumner  Miller,  dem., 

2,809  (414). 

Supervisor — H.   G.  Jenkins,  rep.,  2,749    (282)  ;  August  Huene, 

dem.,  2,467. 

Coroner — C.  Schnepf,  rep.,  2,531 ;  C.  E.  Scholz,  dem.,  2,655  (124). 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  48 1 

Surveyor — Ole  Nelson,  rep.,  2,509;  H.  L.  Dayton,  dem.,  2,676 

(167). 

Insane  Asylum — For,  1819  (846)  ;  against,  973. 

Election,  November,  1898 

Secretary  of  State — G.  L.  Dobson,  rep.,  2,730  (136)  ;  C.  R.  Porter, 
dem.,  2,594. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  2,748  (177)  ;  T.  T.  Blaise,  dem., 

2,571- 

Judge — L.  E.  Fellows,  rep.,  2,801    (211);  A.  N.  Hobson,  rep., 

2,736  (146)  ;  Robert  Quigley,  dem.,  2,500. 

Auditor — J.  G.  Hemple,  rep.,  2,734  (38)  ;  A.  C.  Hagensick,  dem., 
2,696. 

Clerk — Dan  Costigan,  rep.,  3,017   (645)  ;  G.  H.  Schulte,  dem., 

2,372. 

Recorder— ¥L.  W.  Scott,  rep.,  2,571 ;  J.  H.  Hill,  dem.,  2,810  (239). 

Attorney — T.  M.  Davidson,  rep.,  2,910  (442)  ;  John  McMorrow, 
dem.,  2,468. 

Supervisor — Henry  Meder,  rep.,  2,861  (350)  ;  William  Kaiser, 
dem.,  2,511. 

Election,  November,  1899 

Governor — Leslie  M.  Shaw,  rep.,  2,606 ;  F.  E.  White,  dem.,  2,754 
(148). 

Senator — B.  W.  Newberry,  rep.,  2,680;  H.  C.  Bishop,  dem.,  2,712 

(32). 

Representative — H.  D.  Brown,  rep.,  2,671 ;  P.  W.  Conley,  dem., 

2,712  (41). 

Treasurer — J.  N.  Dahm,  rep.,  2,318;  Chas,  Reugnitz,  dem.,  3,094 

(776). 

Sheriff — S.  S.  Wellman,  rep.,  2,075;  E.  E.  Benton,  dem.,  3,340 

(1,265). 

Superintendent — T.  A.  Foote,  rep.,  2,566;  Chas.  J.  Adams  dem., 
2,801  (235). 

Supervisor — A.  S.  Houg,  rep.,  2,467 ;  John  H.  Splies,  dem.,  2.884 

(417).  ^       ^     ^ 

Coroner — C.  Schnepf,  rep.,  2,665 ;  A.  A.  Schmidt,  dem,  2,690  (25). 

Surveyor — Ole  Nelson,  rep.,  2,570;  J.   H.  Zearley,  dem.,  2,774 

(204). 

Election,  November,  1900 

President — William  McKinley,  rep.,  3,366  (482)  ;  William  J. 
Bryan,  dem.,  2,884. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  3,350  (482)  ;  John  Foley,  dem., 
2,868. 

Auditor — J.  G.  Hemple,  rep.,  3,475  (671)  ;  W.  H.  Reinecke,  dem., 
2,804. 

Clerk — Dan  Costigan,  rep.,  3,414  (558)  ;  Dan  Ivory,  dem.,  2,856. 

Recorder — S.  J.  Beddow,  rep.,  3,133;  John  H.  Hill,  dem., 
3,136  (*3)- 


482  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Attorney — T.  M.  Davidson,  rep.,  3,418  (557)  ;  John  McMorrow, 
dem.,  2,861. 

Siipervisor — Horace  Jenkins,  rep.,  3,273  (294)  ;  W.  H.  Scholtz, 
dem.,  2,979. 

*  Election  of  Hill  was  contested  and  decided  in  his  favor. 

Election,  November,  1901 

Governor — A.  B.  Cummins,  rep.,  2,487  (298) ;  T.  J.  Phillips,  dem., 
2,189. 

Representative — J.  C.  Flenniken,  rep.,  2,601  (498)  ;  E.  A.  Bush, 
dem.,  2,103;  T.  J.  Mahathey,  pop.,  loi. 

Treasurer — H.  Lueshen,  Jr.,  rep.,  2,101 ;  Chas,  Reugnitz,  dem., 
2,588  (487). 

Sheriff — E.  E.  Benton,  dem.,  2,751  (2,577)  5  G.  B.  Deilo,  pop.,  174. 

Coroner — J.  H.  Griffin,  rep.,  2,435  (170)  ;  Michael  Regan,  dem., 
2,265. 

Superintendent — E.  A.  Schiefelbein,  rep.,  2,318;  C.  J.  Adam, 
dem.,  2,382  (64). 

Surveyor — Ole  Nelson,  rep.,  2,382  {76)  ;  J.  H.  Zearley,  dem., 
2,306. 

Supervisor — Henry  Meder,  rep.,  2,365   (7)  ;  J.  F.  Schug,  dem., 

2,358. 

Meders  election  contested,  Meder  wins  by  5. 

Election,  November,  1902 

Secretary  of  State — W.  B.  Martin,  rep.,  2,721  (115)  ;  R.  Burke, 
dem.,  2,606. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  2,606;  A.  L.  Sorter,  Jr.,  dem., 

2,739  (135)- 

Judge — L.  E.  Fellows,  2,925  (16)  ;  A.  N.  Hobson,  2,909. 

Auditor — J.  G.  Hemple,  rep.,  2,718  (18)  ;  Otto  Germar,  dem., 
2,700. 

Clerk — Dan  Costigan,  rep.,  2,911  (432);  D.  G.  Griffith,  dem., 
2,479. 

Recorder — S.  J.  Beddow,  rep.,  2,552 ;  James  Carroll,  dem.,  2,800 
(248). 

Attorney — T.  M.  Davidson,  rep.,  2,763  (138)  ;  J.  C.  McMorrow, 
dem.,  2,625. 

Treasurer — J.  F.  Becker,  rep.,  2,535  W.  F.  Reinecke,  dem.,  2,835 

(300)- 

Supervisor — John  N.  Baird,  rep.,  2,470;  S.  H.  F.  Shoulte,  dem., 

2,908  (438). 

Election,  November,  1903 

Governor — A.  B.  Cummins,  rep.,  2,945  (261)  ;  J.  B.  Sullivan,  dem., 
2,684. 

Senator — B.  W.  Newberry,  rep.,  3,133  (531)  ;  H.  C.  Bishop,  dem., 
2,602. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  483 

Representative — J.  C.  Flenniken,  rep.,  2,966  (273)  ;  James  Adams, 
dem.,  2,693. 

Treasurer — H.  A.  Mallory,  rep.,  2,748;  W.  F.  Reinecke,  dem., 

2,925   (177)- 

Sheriff — George  Losch,  rep.,  2,782 ;  Martin  Dittmer,  dem.,  2,936 

(154). 

Superintendent — C.  D.  McGoon,  rep.,  2,593 ;  C.  J.  Adam,  dem., 

3,082  (480). 

Coroner — J.  H.  Craig,  rep.,  2,859  (7^)  >  William  Jones,  dem., 
2,781. 

Surveyor — Ole  Nelson,  rep.,  2,873   (122);  J.  H.  Zearley,  dem., 

2,751- 

Supervisor — A.  S.  Houg,  rep.,  2,967  (293)  ;  C.  G.  Anderegg,  dem., 

2,674. 

Election,  November,  1904 

President — Theodore  Roosevelt,  rep.,  3,339  (711);  Alton  B. 
Parker,  dem.,  2,628. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haiigen,  rep.,  3,322  (745)  ;  W.  O.  Holman,  dem., 

2,577- 

Auditor — J.  G.  Hemple,  rep.,  2,876;  T.  L.  Harvey,  dem.,  3,141 

(265). 

Clerk — Ray  Webb,  rep.,  3,222  (436)  ;  P.  W.  Conley,  dem.,  2,786. 

Recorder — J.  E.  Webb,  rep.,  3,003  (23)  ;  James  Carroll,  dem., 
2,980. 

Attorney — V.  T,   Price,  rep.,  2,853;  M.  X.  Geske,  dem.,  3,166 

(313). 

Supervisor — L.  S.  Fisher,  rep.,  2,995  (16)  ;  L.  B.  Blanchard,  dem., 

2,979. 

Biennial  Elections — For,  1,937;  against,  2,644  (7^7)- 

Election,  November  1906 

Governor — A.  B.  Cummins,  rep.,  2,790  (/6)  ;  C.  R.  Porter,  dem., 
2,714. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  2,817  (344)  ;  M.  J.  Carter,  dem., 

2,473- 

Judges — L.  E.  Fellows,  rep.,  2,890   (434)  ;  A.  N.  Hobson,  rep., 

2,756  (149)  ;  George  W.  Adams,  dem.,  2,456;  Robert  Quigley,  dem., 

2,607. 

Representative — J.  C.  Flenniken,  rep.,  2,530;  G.  H.  Schulte,  dem., 
2838  (308). 

Auditor — C.  J.  Cords,  rep.,  2,309;  T.  L.  Harvey,  dem.,  3,181 
(872). 

Treasurer — George  Witt,  rep.,  2,486 ;  W.  F.  Reinecke,  dem.,  2,936 

(450). 

Clerk — Ray  Webb,  rep.,  3,311  (1,158)  ;  J.  F.  Carroll,  dem.,  2,153. 

Sheriff — J.  H.  Schmidt,  rep.,  1,885;  Martin  Dittmer,  dem.,  3,605 
(1,720). 

Recorder — J.  E.  Webb,  rep.,  2,834  (168)  ;  J.  W.  McLaughlin,  dem., 
2,666. 


484  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Attorney — W.  W.  Davidson,  rep.,  2,469;  M.  X.  Geske,  dem.,  2,966 

(497)- 

Superintendent — D.  E.  Livingood,  rep.,  2,736 ;  C.  J.  Adam,  dem., 

2,744  (8). 

Surveyor — Ole  Nelson,  rep.,  2,718  (103);  J.  H.  Zearley,  dem., 
2,615. 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beermann,  rep.,  2,902  (468)  ;  A.  J.  Pappin,  dem., 

2,434- 

Supervisors — H.  A.  Mallory,  rep.,  2,830  (379)  ;  H.  P.  Krueger, 
dem.,  2,451 ;  A.  S.  Houg,  rep.,  2,761  (235)  ;  John  H.  Leui,  dem.,  2,526; 
L.  S.  Fisher,  rep.,  3,038  (790)  ;  Seymour  PhilHps,  dem.,  2,248. 

Election,  November,  1908 

President — William  H.  Taft,  rep.,  2,773 ;  William  J.  Bryan,  dem., 
3,026  (253). 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  2,397;  M.  E.  Geiser,  dem.,  3,098 
(701). 

Senator — B.   W.   Newberry,   rep.,  2,656;   Robert  Quigley,   dem., 

2,899  (233)- 

Representative — Wilkes    Williams,    rep.,   2,332 ;    G.    H.    Schulte, 

dem.,  3,180  (848). 

Auditor — C.  J.  Cords,  rep.,  2,714;  D.  F.  Willmes,  dem.,  2,820 
(106). 

Treasurer — C.  F.  Meier,  rep.,  2,727  (i)  ;  J.  W.  Forward,  dem., 
2,726. 

Clerk — Otto  G.  Embertson,  rep.,  2,499 !  Max  B.   Bishop,  dem., 

3.073  (547)- 

Sheriff — George  Losch,  rep.,  2,493 ;  Martin  Dittmer,  dem.,  3,148 

(655)- 

Recorder — J.  E.  Webb,  rep.,  2,394;  J.  W.  McLaughin,  dem.,  3,195 

(801). 

Attorney — George  H.  Fletcher,  rep.,  2,671 ;  Chas.  E.  Scholz,  dem., 

2,904  (233)' 

Superintendent — D.  E.  Livingood,  rep.,  2,620 ;  Thos.  R.  Roberts, 

dem.,  2,964  (344). 

Surveyor — Ole   Nelson,  rep.,  2,409 ;  J.   H.  Zearley,  dem.,  3,072 

(663). 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beermann,  rep.,  2,767  (60)  ;  L.  A.  Zearley,  dem., 
2,707. 

Supervisor — H.  A.  Mallory,  rep.,  2,687;  ^-  ^-  Albrecht,  dem., 
2,763  (76)  ;  Frank  J.  Corlett,  rep.,  2,356;  C.  E.  Witt,  dem.,  3,144  (788). 

Clerk  {to  fill  vacancy) — B.  F.  Falkenhainer,  64  (52)  ;  Max  B. 
Bishop,  12. 

Drainage  Amendment — For,  2,113  ;  against,  2,575  (462). 

Additional  Land  for  Hospital — For,  1,702;  against,  3,234  (1,532). 

Election,  November,  1910 

Governor — B.  F.  Carroll,  rep.,  2,152;  C.  R.  Porter,  dem.,  2,906 
(754). 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  485 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  1,807;  D.  D.  Murphy,  dem.,  3,209 
(1,402). 

Judges — L.  F.  Fellows,  rep.,  2,709  (47)  ;  A.  N.  Hobson,  rep.,  2,662. 

Representative — L.  L.  Renshaw,  rep.,  2,181 ;  Frank  Gilbert,  dem., 
2,684  (503)- 

Auditor — Knud  H.  Knudson,  rep.,  1,922;  D.  F.  Willmes,  dem., 
2,991    (1,069). 

Treasurer — Christ  F.  Meier,  rep.,  2,788  (679)  ;  H.  E.  W.  Kaiser, 
dem.,  2,109. 

Clerk — D.  C.  Hale,  rep.,  1,861 ;  Max  B.  Bishop,  dem.,  3,120 
(1,259). 

Sheriff — Doug  Brown,  rep.,  1,970;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  3,048 
(1.078). 

Recorder — John  Foster,  rep.,  1,870;  James  W.  McLaughlin,  dem., 
3,061   (1,191). 

Attorney — Chas.  E.  Scholz.  dem.,  3,414. 

Superintendent — Carl  F.  Becker,  rep.,  1,978;  Thos.  R.  Roberts, 
dem.,  2,904  (926). 

Surveyor — Phillip  Curran,  dem.,  3,167. 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beerman,  rep.,  2,333 !  L.  A.  Zearley,  dem.,  2,482 

(149)- 

Supervisors — L.  S.  Fisher,  rep.,  2,205  I  Fred  Groth,  dem.,  2,726 

(521)  ;  Henry  Whitford,  rep.,  1,972;  A.  B.  Albrecht,  dem.,  2,816  (944). 
Cotistitutional  Convention — For,  1,912;  against,  2,581  (669). 

Election,  November,  19 12 

President — W.  H.  Taft,  rep.,  1,239;  Woodrow  Wilson,  dem.,  2,919 
(1,448)  ;  Theodore  Roosevelt,  prog.,  1,471. 

Governor — G.  W.  Clark,  rep.,  1,916;  Edward  G.  Dunn,  dem., 
2,780  (864)  ;  John  L.  Stevens,  prog.,  684. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  2,322;  G.  A.  Mayer,  dem.,  2,969 

(647). 

Judge  (to  fill  vacancy) — W.  J.  Springer,  rep.,  2,283  5  ^-  J-  Murphy, 
dem.,  3,029  (746). 

Senator — L.  S.  Fisher,  rep.,  2,237;  Robert  Quigley,  dem.,  3,054 
(817). 

Representative — F.  C.  Gilmore,  rep.,  2,385;  Charles  E.  Scholz, 
dem.,  2,960  (575). 

Auditor — John  Adam,  rep.,  2,855  (2^2)  ;  D.  F.  Willmes,  dem., 
2,643. 

Treasurer— G.  J.  Graf,  rep.,  2,896   (371);  J.  A.  Maiers,  dem., 

2,525- 

Clerk — D.  C.  Hale,  rep.,  2,452;  Max  B.  Bishop,  dem.,  3,055  (603). 

Sheriff — Frank  Wood,  rep.,  1,859;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  3,623 
(1,764). 

Recorder — John  Foster,  rep.,  2,335 ;  J.  W.  McLaughlin,  dem., 
3,082  (747). 

Attorney — D.  W.  Meier,  rep.,  2,081 ;  G.  H.  Shoulte,  dem.,  3,333 
(1-252). 


486  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Superintendent — Carl  F.  Becker,  rep.,  3,323  (1,136)  ;  C.  W.  Bean, 
dem.,  2,187. 

Superintendent  (to  fill  vacancy) — Carl  F.  Becker,  rep.,  93 ;  C.  W. 
Bean,  dem.,  180  (87). 

Coroner — M.  H.  Leuhsen,  rep.,  2,532 ;  L.  A.  Zearley,  dem.,  2,782 

(250). 

Supervisors — George  W.  Ash,  rep.,  2,275 ;  C.  E.  Witt,  dem.,  3,040 
(765)  ;  E.  W.  Kregel,  rep.,  2,387;  Fred  Groth,  dem.,  2,979  (592)- 

Election,  November,   1914 

U.  S.  Senator — A.  B.  Cummins,  rep.,  2,388  (226)  ;  Maurice  Con- 
nolly, dem.,  2,162;  Otis  L.  Spurgeon,  ind.,  853. 

Governor — George  W,  Clarke,  rep.,  2,535  J  John  T.  Hamilton, 
dem.,  2,616  (81). 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  2,618  (122)  ;  G.  A.  Meyer,  dem., 
2,496. 

Judges  (non-partisan) — A.  N.  Hobson,  1,032;  William  J. 
Springer,  1,024. 

Representatives — William  Becker,  rep.,  2,706  (258)  ;  Chas.  E. 
Scholz.,  dem.,  2,448. 

Auditor — John  Adam,  rep.,  3,564  (1,876);  P.  A.  Phelan,  dem., 
1,688. 

Treasurer — C.  J.  Graf,  rep.,  3,396  (1,525)  ;  C.  J.  Rulon,  dem., 
1,871. 

Clerk — W.  L.  Eichendorf,  rep.,  2,136;  Martin  G.  Hagensick,  dem., 
3,083   (947). 

Sheriff — J.  P.  Hurley,  rep.,  1,842;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  3,531 
(1,689). 

Recorder — John  Foster,  rep.,  2,389;  Vina  Katschkowsky,  dem., 
2,901  (512). 

Attorney — E.  L.  Spaulding,  rep.,  2,289;  ^-  J-  Palas,  dem.,  2,933 

(644). 

Attorney  (to  fill  vacancy) — E.  L.  Spaulding,  rep.,  2,154;  A.  J. 
Palas,  dem.,  2,715  (561). 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beerman,  rep.,  2,897  (662)  ;  Albert  J.  Pappen, 
dem.,  2,235. 

Coroner  (to  fill  vacancy) — W.  J.  Beerman,  rep.,  2,711  (549); 
Albert  J.  Pappen,  dem.,  2,162. 

Supervisors — Chas.  Meder,  rep.,  2,797  (438)  I  J-  P-  Mayer,  dem., 
2,359;  George  Pixler,  rep.,  2,506  (7)  ;  Chas.  H.  Huebner,  dem.,  2,499. 

Supervisor  (to  fill  vacancy) — E.  W.  Kregel,  rep.,  2,585  (71); 
L.  D.  Moser,  dem.,  2,514. 

Primary  Election  Tables,  June,  1908 

U.  S.  Senator — W.  B.  Allison,  rep.,  694;  A.  B.  Cummins,  rep., 
838  (144)  ;  C.  R.  Porter,  dem.,  1,005. 

Governor — B.  F.  Carroll,  rep.,  627  (82)  ;  W.  Garst,  rep.,  545 ; 
J.  J.  Hamilton,  rep.,  226;  F.  E.  White,  dem.,  1,008. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF    ELECTIONS  487 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  1,216;  A.  J.  Anders,  dem.,  494 
(96)  ;  M.  B.  Geiser,  dem.,  398. 

Senator — B.  W.  Newberry,  rep.,  1,235;  ^-  Quigley,  dem.,  909. 
Representative — W.  Williams,  rep.,   1,201 ;  G.  H.  Schulte,  dem,, 

937- 

Auditor — C.  J.  Cords,  rep.,  889  (429)  ;  C.  H.  Williamson,  rep., 

460;  T.  L.  Harvey,  dem.,  440;  D.  F.  Willmes,  dem.,  618  (178). 

Treasurer — J.  J.  Brich,  rep.,  452;  C.  F.  Meier,  rep.,  897  (445); 
J.  W.  Forward,  dem.,  971. 

Clerk — O.  G.  Embertson,  rep.,  780  (194)  ;  J.  A.  Kramer,  rep., 
586;  M.  B.  Bishop,  dem.,  661   (255)  ;  O.  C.  Friend,  dem.,  406. 

Sheriff — G.  Losch,  rep.,  782  (205);  J.  H.  Schmidt,  rep.,  577; 
M.  Dittmer,  dem.,  702  (306)  ;  P.  J.  Ryan,  dem.,  396. 

Recorder — J.  E.  Webb,  rep.,  1,337;  J-  W.  McLaughlin,  dem., 
1,011. 

Attorney — G.  H.  Fletcher,  rep.,  1,276;  C.  E.  Scholz,  dem.,  1,017. 

Superintendent — J.  N.  Dahm,  rep.,  615 ;  D.  E.  Livingood,  rep., 
805  (190)  ;  T.  R.  Roberts,  dem.,  989. 

Surveyor — Ole  Nelson,  rep.,  25 ;  J.  Zearley,  dem.,  5. 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beerman,  rep.,  1,254;  L.  A.  Zearley,  dem.,  954. 

Supervisor — H,  A.  Mallory,  rep.,  1,249;  C.  E.  Witt,  dem.,  40. 

Supervisor — F.  J.  Corlett,  rep.,  717  (65)  ;  A.  S.  Houg,  rep.,  652; 

C.  E.  Witt,  dem.,  924. 

Primary  Election,  November,  1908 

U.  S.  Senator — A.  B.  Cummins,  rep.,  1,540  (893)  ;  J.  F.  Lacey, 
rep.,  647. 

June,  1910 

Governor — Warren  Garst,  rep.,  738  (136);  B.  F.  Carroll,  rep., 
602;  Stephen  H.  Bashor,  dem.,  107;  Edwin  G.  Moon,  dem.,  230;  Claud 
R.  Porter,  dem.,  669  (439). 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  1,147;  ^-  D.  Murphy,  dem.,  1,154. 

Representative — L.  L.  Renshaw,  rep.,  1,133;  Frank  Gilbert,  dem., 
1,080. 

Auditor — Knud  L.  Knudson,  rep.,  1,166;  D.  F.  Willmes,  dem., 

1,151- 

Treasurer — Chris  F.  Meier,  rep.,  1,195;  H-  E.  W.  Kaiser,  dem., 

1,101. 

Clerk — D.  C.  Hale,  rep.,  1,125;  ^^^  B.  Bishop,  dem.,  1,161. 

Sheriff — Doug  Brown,  rep.,  772  (332)  ;  George  Losch,  rep.,  470; 

D.  L.  Batton,  dem.,  424;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  460  (36)  ;  J.  K.  Mol- 
umby,  dem.,  351. 

Recorder — John  Foster,  rep.,    1,122;  J.  W.   McLaughlin,   dem., 

1,158. 

Attorney — Rep.  scattering,  60;  Chas.  E.  Scholz,  dem.,  1,163. 

Superintendent — Carl  F.  Becker,  rep.,  1,113;  Thos.  R.  Roberts, 
dem.,  1,131. 

Surveyor — Rep.  scattering,  10;  dem.  scattering,  16. 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beerman,  rep.,  1,116;  L.  A.  Zearley,  dem.,  1,063. 


488  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Supervisor — F.  J.  Corlett,  rep.,  427;  L.  S.  Fisher,  rep.,  797  (370)  ; 
Fred  Groth,  dem.,  1,082. 

Supervisor — Henry  Whitford,  rep.,  1,090;  A.  B.  Albrecht.,  dem., 
1,066. 

Primary  Election,  June,  1912 

U.  S.  Senator — W.  S.  Kenyon,  rep.,  775  (378)  ;  L.  Young,  rep., 
397;  D.  W.  Hamilton,  dem.,  816. 

Governor — George  W.  Clark,  rep.,  485;  P.  G.  Holden,  rep.,  516 
(31);  A.  V.  Proudfoot,  rep.,  151;  E.  G.  Dunn,  dem.,  281;  John  T. 
Hamilton,  dem.,  482  (201). 

Congress — H.  L.  Adams,  rep.,  265 ;  G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  882  (617)  ; 
Sigurst  Regue,  dem.,  298;  G.  A.  Meyer,  dem.,  478  (180). 

Senator — L.  S.  Fisher,  rep.,  1,032;  Robert  Quigley,  dem.,  805. 

Representative — F.  C.  Gilmore,  rep.,  1,036;  Chas.  E.  Scholz., 
dem.,  806. 

Auditor — W.  L.  Korss,  rep.,  1,066;  D.  F.  Willmes,  dem.,  841. 
Treasurer — G.  J.  Graf,  rep.,  1,072;  J.  A.  Maiers,  dem.,  816. 
Clerk — D.  C.  Hale,  rep.,  1,049;  ^^^  B.  Bishop,  dem.,  841. 
Sheriff^ — Frank  Wood,  rep.,  1,042;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  836. 
Recorder — John  Foster,  rep.,  1,043  >  J-  W.  McLaughlin,  dem.,  834. 
Attorney — D.  W.  Maier,  rep.,  1,042;  G.  H.  Schulte,  dem.,  841. 
Superintendent — Carl  F.  Becker,  rep.,  998;  C.  W.  Bean,  dem.,  813. 
Coroner — M.  H.  Luehsen,  rep.,  1,038;  L.  A.  Zearley,  dem,,  805. 
Supervisor — George  W.  Ash,  rep.,  1,035;  C.  E.  Witt,  dem.,  813. 
Supervisor — E.  W.  Kregel,  rep.,  1,028;  Fred  Groth,  dem.,  818. 

Primary  Election,  June,  1914 

U.  S.  Senator — A.  B.  Cummins,  rep.,  658  (380)  ;  A.  C.  Savage, 
rep.,  278;  Maurice  Connolly,  dem.,  778  (319)  ;  E.  T.  Meredith,  dem., 

459- 

Governor — George  W.  Clarke,  rep.,  688  (551);  C.  G.  Lee,  rep., 
loi ;  John  W.  Rowley,  rep.,  137;  John  T.  Hamilton,  dem.,  875  (596)  ; 
V.  R.  McGinnis,  dem.,  279. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  879;  G.  A.  Meyer,  dem.,  1,069. 

Representative — Rep.  scattering,  23;  Chas.  E.  Scholz,  dem.,  1,061. 

Auditor — John  Adams,  rep.,  903;  P.  A.  Phalen,  dem.,  1,024. 

Treasurer — G.  J.  Graf,  rep.,  853;  C.  J.  Rulon,  dem.,  1,070. 

Clerk — Martin  G.  Hagensick,  dem.,  1,161 ;  W.  L.  Eichendorf,  rep., 
862. 

Sheriff — J.  P.  Hurley,  rep.,  729;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  1,156. 

Recorder — Fred  Susie,  rep.,  424;  John  Foster,  rep.,  477  (53); 
Vina  Katschkowsky,  dem.,  636  (96)  ;  J.  J.  Finnegan,  dem.,  540. 

Attorney — E.  Spaulding,  rep.,  862;  G.  H.  Schulte,  dem.,  1,148. 

Coroner — Rep.  scattering,  24;  Albert  J.  Pappin,  dem.,  1,066. 

Supervisor — Chas.  Meder,  rep.,  853;  Henry  Koehn,  dem.,  446;, 
J.  P.  Meyer,  dem.,  479  (33)  ;  L.  D.  Zahrndt,  dem.,  257. 

Supervisor — Rep.  scattering,  46;  Chas.  Huebner,  dem.,  1,043. 


statistical  table  of  elections  489 

Presidential  Preference  Primary,  April,  1916 

President — Republican:  A.  B.  Cummins,  466;  C.  E.  Hughes,  2; 
Theodore  Roosevelt,  24.  Democrat:  Woodrow  Wilson,  436;  W.  J. 
Bryan,  6 ;  Henry  Ford,  2 ;  C.  Clark,  2. 

Vice-president — Republican:  Elmer  J.  Burkett,  127;  W.  G.  Web- 
ster, 309  (182).     Democratic:  E.  M.  Major,  414. 

National  Committeemen — Republican  :  John  T.  Adams,  289  (126)  ; 
John  Olson,  163.  Democratic:  E.  G.  Dunn,  179;  W.  W.  Marsh, 
260  (81). 

Primary  Election,  June,  1916 

Electors  at  Large — Republican:  B.  Murphy,  1,308;  Ralph  Pringle, 
1,264.     Democratic:  Joseph  Beh,  1,217;  E.  P.  Farr,  1,096. 

Governor — Republican:  George  Cosson,  247;  W.  L.  Harding, 
560  (209);  Carl  F.  Kuehnle,  331;  Joseph  H.  Allen,  335.  Demo- 
cratic: E.  T.  Meredith,  1,301. 

Congress — G.  N.  Haugen,  rep.,  1,428;  Carl  Evans,  dem.,  1,259, 

Senator — B.  W.  Newberry,  rep.,  1,411;  Robert  Quigley,  dem., 
1,300. 

Representative — William  Becker,  rep.,  1,346;  dem.  scattering,  19. 

Auditor — A.  H.  Andreae,  rep.,  1,376;  Edwin  G.  Pebler,  dem., 
456;  Fred  C.  Seemann,  dem.,  892  (436). 

Treasurer — G.  J.  Graf,  rep.,  1,422;  E.  E.  Beers,  dem.,  1,208. 

Clerk — Rep.  scattering,  10;  M.  G.  Hagensick,  dem.,  1,378. 

Sheriff — John  G.  Reidel,  rep.,  756  (69)  ;  F.  A.  Robinson,  rep., 
687;  D.  L.  Barton,  dem.,  440;  E.  Bergemeyer,  dem.,  565  (125);  E. 
Bergman,  dem.,  362 ;  Otto  Engelhardt,  dem.,  162. 

Recorder — Rep.  scattering,  13;  Vina  Katschkowsky,  dem.,  1,304. 

Attorney — W.  W.  Davidson,  rep.,  1,391 ;  A.  J.  Palas,  dem.,  1,334. 

Coroner — W.  J.  Beerman,  rep.,  1,385 ;  dem.  scattering,  23. 

Supervisor — E.  W.  Kregel,  rep.,  1,382;  dem.  scattering,  25;  Chas. 
Meder,  rep.,  1,389;  dem  scattering,  12. 

Suffrage  Amendment — For,  1,136;  against,  2,123  {9^7)- 

BOARD    OF  SUPERVISORS 

List  of  Members  of  Board  of  Supervisors  of  Clayton  County 

from  1861  TO  1916 

The  first  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Supervisors  was  held  at  the 
Court  House  at  Elkader,  Jan.  7,  1861,  and  the  following  members  were 
elected : 

D.  W.  Chase,  Lodomillo  G.  S.  Peck,  Cox  Creek 

Philip  Hunter,  Millville  Ebenezer  Wood,  Jefferson 

The  next  year  the  following  names  were  added : 
Jas.  Newberry,  Lodomillo  H.  M.  Jones,  Cox  Creek 

W.  W.  Gilmore,  Millville  Geo.  Falkenhainer,  Jefferson 


490  MEMOIRS  OF   CLAYTON    COUNTY 

1863 

Willis  Drummond,  Mendon  Wm.  S.  Scott,  Monona 

B.  F.  Schroeder,  Garnavillo  John  Petres,  Cox  Creek 

John  Paddleford,  Cass  Daniel  Dougherty,  Giard 

L.  R  Carrier,  Highland  Henry  White,  Sperry 

J.  W.  Bowman,  Mallory  P.  M.  Lown,  Marion 

Elias  Hall,  Elk 

1864 
Lodomillo,  D.  W.  Chase  Millville,  P.  C.  Parke 

Read,  L.  R.  Gilbert  Grand  Meadow,  P.  G.  Bailey 

Wagner,  Ezra  Monlux  Boardman,  R.  C.  Place 

Cox  Creek,  G.  L.  Gifford  Buena  Vista,  R.  Menth 

Jefferson,  Jas.  Schroeder  Volga,  J._  Venus 

Farmersburg,  Thos.  D.  White 

1865 
Mallory,  Philip  Hansel  Marion,  J.  C.  Rounds 

Monona,  P.  P.  Olmstead  Garnavillo,  B.  F.  Schroeder 

Elk,  Ehas  Hall  Sperry,  Olliver  Sanford 

Mendon,  M.  O'Brien  Giard,  Jas.  Tapper 

Highland,  O.  R.  Paige  Cass,  O.  H.  Sherwood 

Clayton,  Frank  Larrabee 

1866 
Monona,  Elijah  Boley  Lodomillo,  D.  W.  Chase 

Grand  Meadow,  P.  G.  Bailey  Volga,  P.  Costigan 

Cass,  L.  F.  Carrier  Read,  L.  R.  Gilbert 

Buena  Vista,  B.  Chanvet  Cox  Creek,  C.  Wentzell 

Wagner,  Ezra  Monlux 

1867 

Cass,  Gilbert  Cooley  Clayton,  S.  L.  Peck 

Elk,  Philip  Fishel  Marion,  J.  C.  Rounds 

Mallory,  J.  Gehen  Giard,  James  Tapper 

Highland,  John  Keeling  Buena  Vista,  L.  E.  Tucker 

Mendon,  M.  O'Brien  Sperry,  Henry  White 

Monona,  P.  P.  Olmstead  Garnavillo,  G.  W.  Beach 

1868 

Boardman,  R.  C.  Place  Read,  Michael  Uriell 

Farmersburg,  C.  F.  Hall  Grand  Meadow,  H.  S.  Humphrey 

Lodomillo,  Richard  Edmonds  Volga,  John  Garber 

Millville,  Wm.  Blake  Wagner,  R.  L.  Knight 

Jefferson,  Jas.  Schroeder  Cox  Creek,  Charles  Wentzell 

1869 
Garnavillo,  G.  W.  Beach  Sperry,  A.  T.  Lawrence 

Mallory,  J.  H.  Bowman  Monona,  Luther  Nichols 

Highland,  Michael  Callaghan  Mendon,  Amos  Pearsall 

Elk,  Elijah  Gates  Clayton,  S.  L.  Peck 

Giard,  L.  R.  Gilbert  Marion,  J.  C.  Rounds 

Cass,  H.  B,  Taylor 


STATISTICAL  TABLE  OF  ELECTIONS  49 1 

1870 

Millville,  William  Blake  Farmersburg.  C.  F.  Hall 

Volga,  Michael  Eberhard  Buena  Vista,  C.  L.  Hoffman 

Wagner,  G.  A.  Gooding  Grand  Meadow,  H.  S.  Humphrey 

Jefferson,  C.  P.  Goodrich  Lodomillo,  Jas.  Newberry 

Cox  Creek,  Fred  Peick 

[871— O.  W.  Crary,  P.  P.  Olmstead,  Michael  Uriell. 

[872 — P.  P.  Olmstead,  Michael  Uriell  and  Gilbert  Cooley. 

[873 — Michael  Uriell,  Gilbert  Cooley  and  P.  P.  Olmstead. 

[874— Gilbert  Cooley,  P.  P.  Olmstead  and  Michael  Uriell. 

[875 — P.  P.  Olmstead,  Michael  Uriell  and  William  Thoma. 

[876 — Michael  Uriell,  William  Thoma  and  Isaac  Otis.  William 
Thoma  died  in  this  year  and  P.  P,  Olmstead  was  appointed  by  the 
county  clerk,  auditor  and  recorder  to  fill  the  vacancy. 

[877 — P.  P.  Olmstead,  Isaac  Otis  and  Andrew  Eberhard. 

[878 — Isaac  Otis,  Andrew  Eberhard  and  P.  P.  Olmstead. 

[879 — Andrew  Eberhard,  P.  P.  Olmstead  and  G.  H.  Scofield. 

[880— P.  P.  Olmstead,  G.  H.  Scofield  and  Helmuth  Brandt. 

[881— G.  H.  Scofield,  Helmuth  Brandt  and  A.  F.  Nichols. 

[882— Helmuth  Brandt,  A.  F.  Nichols  and  G.  H.  Scofield. 

[883— F.  Schoulte,  A.  F.  Nichols,  G.  H.  Schofield. 

[884 — F.  Schoulte,  James  McKinley,  G.  H.  Schofield. 

[885 — F.  Schoulte,  James  McKinley,  John  Welch. 

[886 — F.  Schoulte,  James  McKinley,  John  Welch. 

[887 — F.  Schoulte,  James  McKinley,  John  Welch. 

[888 — F.  Schoulte,  James  McKinley,  John  Luther. 

[889 — John  W.  Welch,  James  McKinley,  John  Luther. 

[890 — John  W.  Welch,  James  Rogers,  John  Luther. 

[891 — John  W.  Welch,  James  Rogers,  Joseph  Andres. 

[892 — Charles  Mentzel,  James  Rogers,  Joseph  Andres. 

[893 — Charles  Mentzel,  James  Rogers,  Joseph  Andres. 

[894 — Charles  Mentzel,  James  Rogers,  William  Monlux. 

[895 — George  H.  Schofield,  James  Rogers,  William  Monlux. 

[896 — George  H.  Schofield,  J.  F.  W.  Kaiser,  William  Monlux. 

[897 — George  Schofield,  J.  F.  Kaiser,  William  Monlux. 

[898— H.  G.  Jenkins,  J.  F.  W.  Kaiser,  William  Monlux. 

[899 — H.  G.  Jenkins,  Henry  Meder,  William  Monlux. 

[900 — H.  G.  Jenkins,  Henry  K.  Meder,  John  Splies. 

[901 — H.  G.  Jenkins,  Henry  Meder,  John  H.  Splies. 

[902 — H.  G.  Jenkins,  Henry  Meder,  John  Splies. 

[903 — H.  G.  Jenkins,  Henry  Meder,  S.  H.  F.  Schoulte. 

[904 — A.  S.  Houg,  Henry  Meder,  S.  H.  F.  Schoulte. 

[905 — A.  S.  Houg,  L.  S.  Fisher,  S.  H.  F.  Schoulte. 

[906 — A.  S.  Houg,  L.  S.  Fisher,  S.  H.  F.  Schoulte. 

[907 — A.  S.  Houg,  L.  S.  Fisher,  H.  A.  Mallory. 

[908— A.  S.  Houg,  L.  S.  Fisher,  H.  A.  Mallory. 

[909 — A.  S.  Houg,  L.  S.  Fisher,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 

[910— C.  E.  Witt,  L.  S.  Fisher,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 

[911— C.  E.  Witt,  Fred  Groth,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 

[912— C.  E.  Witt,  Fred  Groth,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 


492  MEMOIRS    OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

1913— C.  E.  Witt,  Fred  Groth,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 
1914— C.  E.  Witt,  Fred  Groth,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 
1915— C.  E.  Witt,  Ed.  Kregel,  A.  B.  Albrecht. 
1916 — George  Pixler,  E.  W.  Kregel,  Charles  Meder. 

LIST  OF  PLATTED  TOWNS  OF  CLAYTON  COUNTY  WITH 
DATE  AND  NAMES  OF  FIRST  OWNERS 

Bismarck  (extinct),  December  18,  1875,  Johnston  Campbell. 

Buena  Vista,  October  31,  1848,  William  Stevens. 

Clayton,  May  2,  1850,  Timothy  Davis  et  al. 

Clayton  Center,  June  27,  1857,  Frederick  Hartmann. 

East  Elkport  (Garber),  July  7,  1873,  John  Garber. 

Edgewood  (Yankee  Settlement),  February  27,  1856,  John  Gibson. 

Elkader,  June  22,  1846,  John  Thompson  et  al. 

Elkport,  June  24,  1853,  Frederick  Hartge. 

Farmersburg  (Windsor),  October  8,  1856,  John  C.  Russell. 

Garber  (East  Elkport),  July  7,  1873,  John  Garber. 

Giard,  May  25,  1871,  Daniel  F.  Bickel. 

Garnavillo  (Jacksonville),  April  14,  1844,  County  Commissioners. 

Graham  (Jefferson),  March  25,  1852,  P.  C.  Bolsinger,  E.  C. 
Jeffries. 

Gunder,  April  5,  1899,  John  Halgorson. 

Guttenberg,  August  5,  1848,  Western  Settlement  Society. 

Hardin,  March  i,  1854,  Jos.  ColHns,  L.  B.  Hodges. 

Jacksonville  (Garnavillo),  April  14,  1844,  County  Commissioners, 

Jefferson  (Graham),  March  25,  1852,  Bolsinger,  Jeffries. 

Keeleroy,  December  14,  1848,  J.  M.  Powell,  Orrin  Keeler. 

Littleport,  May  21,  i860,  Dennis  Quigley. 

Luana,  January  7,  1868,  William  S.  Scott. 

Mederville  (St.  John),  October  5,  1868,  H.  Meder,  Louis  Reuther. 

Millville,  July  3,  1856,  Isaac  H.  Preston. 

Monona,  May  28,  1853,  P.  P.  Olmstead  et  al. 

Motor,  August  5,  1875,  J.  O.  Crosby. 

McGregor,  July  24,  1850,  James  and  Duncan  MacGregor. 

National  (Farmersburg),  March  12,  1858,  S.  T.  Woodard  et  al. 

North  McGregor,  July  21,  1858,  Thomas  Osborne. 

Osborne,  November  15,   1879,  Thomas  Osborne. 

Osterdock,  July  20,  1877,  J.  H.  and  J.  N.  Bowman. 

Prairie  la  Porte  (Guttenberg),  December  4,  1839,  County  Com- 
missioners. 

St.  Johan  (Mederville),  October  5,  1868,  H.  Meder,  L.  Reuther. 

St.  Olaf,  March  7,  1874,  Thomas  Thompson. 

Springfield  (extinct),  February  16,  1869,  John  P.  Reed. 

Strawberry  Point,  December  16,  1854,  Eleazer  Gardner. 

Turkey  River,  June  8,  1880,  Peter  Keinie. 

Volga  City,  January  8,  1852,  W.  H.  and  A.  L.  Gould. 

West  McGregor,  July  23,  1857,  H.  S.  Granger  et  al. 

Windsor  (Farmersburg),  October  8,  1856,  John  C.  Russell. 

Yankee  Settlement  (Edgewood),  February  27,  1856,  John  Gibson. 


STATISTICAL   TABLE   OF   ELECTIONS  493 

Froelich,  Beulah,  Woods  and  some  other  post  offices  were  never 
platted. 

CENSUS  RETURNS 

From  State  and  National  Census  Report 

Township  191 5 

Boardman    624 

Buena  Vista 302 

Cass   675 

Clayton    557 

Cox  Creek 788 

Elk     906 

Farmersburg    - 592 

Garnavillo   440 

Giard    rrrrrrTTV:::  r. . .  843 

Grand   Meadow 625 

Highland   576 

Jefferson    790 

Lodomillo    863 

Mallory 862 

Marion    878 

Mendon   986 

Millville    798 

Monona   724 

Read    585 

Sperry    592 

Volga   769 

Wagner   656 

Total    15,431 


Village  191 5 

Clayton    141 

Edge  wood   313 

Elkader    12 15 

Elkport    212 

Farmersburg 283 

Garber  (4) 126 

Garnavillo  (i) 368 

Guttenberg    1873 

Littleport    ( i ) 205 

Luana    166 

McGregor    1240 

Monona   965 

North  Buena  Vista  ( i ) 164 

North  McGregor 573 

Osterdock   (3) 97 

St.  Olaf 145 

Strawberry    Point ii 58 


I9I0 

1900 

1890 

636 

775 

938 

298 

434 

311 

725 

764 

743 

570 

763 

848 

826 

no 

1046 

968 

1130 

1 189 

625 

825 

977 

464 

894 

1051 

847 

1117 

1 147 

697 

830 

826 

623 

677 

793 

841 

989 

980 

887 

1055 

1305 

946 

1156 

1269 

934 

986 

993 

970 

1000 

1 195 

800 

881 

936 

960 

1054 

1015 

669 

792 

804 

621 

763 

1 128 

842 

874 

1288 

687 

763 
19,632 

970 

16,436 

21,752 

1910 

1900 

1890 

145 

.... 

.... 

297 

340 

.... 

1181 

1321 

745 

210 

326 

.... 

259 

143 

•  ■  •  • 

131 

.... 

•  •  •  • 

342 

.... 

.... 

187^ 

1620 

I  160 

166 

•  •  •  ■ 

1259 

1498 

•  •  •  • 

1160 

792 

674 

460 

162 

•  ■  •  ■ 

588 

616 

509 

97 

.... 

.... 

170 

124 

.... 

1052 

1012 

947 

494  MEMOIRS   OF    CLAYTON    COUNTY 

Volga   City 456  416  444 


Total    9700        9140        81 18        4981 

Grand  Total 25131      25576      27750      26733 

(1)  Incorporated  in  1907;  (3)  Incorporated  in  1904;  (4)  Incor- 
porated as  East  Elkport  in  1904;  name  changed  to  Garber  in  1907. 


c^- 

'i 


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